Public Policy

  • July 26, 2024

    Fed Closes Loop On Now-Shuttered Crypto Bank Silvergate

    The Federal Reserve said Friday that it has concluded an enforcement action requiring Silvergate Bank to close out its operations safely and smoothly, tying up a loose thread from the California-based crypto bank's move to shut itself down after tanking last year.

  • July 26, 2024

    NFL Leads Sports & Betting Cases To Watch For Rest Of 2024

    Significant cases involving major American pro sports organizations have earned extra attention as the second half of 2024 begins, as have cases involving young professional athletes, college recruits and youth sports participants. Still, the NFL remains king with its footprint all over the list of must-follow cases for the rest of the year.

  • July 26, 2024

    How Being A Female Litigator May Aid Harris' Presidential Bid

    Female litigators regularly confront implicit biases and double standards when it comes to "their appearance, voice, attire, demeanor and their advocacy," according to the author of an American Bar Foundation research report on first chair trial lawyers.

  • July 26, 2024

    Insurance Trade Group Challenges FTC's Noncompete Ban

    The American Property Casualty Insurance Association backed a tax preparation company and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's challenge to the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompete agreements, telling a Texas federal court that the rule would "significantly disrupt the insurance producer landscape."

  • July 26, 2024

    Cannabis Litigation To Watch: Delta-8 And Residency Rules

    In the first half of 2024, a series of lawsuits taking aim at state hemp restrictions and another set of suits challenging purported residency criteria in state cannabis licensure programs were briefed in multiple appellate courts across the country.

  • July 26, 2024

    Illinois Cases To Watch In 2024: Midyear Report

    Illinois attorneys say they are considering the path forward for Springfield corruption prosecutions following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, as well as paying attention to what comes next in Motorola Solutions' trade secret contempt fight and potential new guidelines for music copyright cases. Here are the cases to watch in Illinois for the rest of 2024.

  • July 26, 2024

    Colorado Cases To Watch 2024: A Midyear Report

    Colorado is at the forefront of state challenges to Kroger's $24 billion proposed merger with Albertsons, regulators are defending a high-cost lending crackdown, and state justices could change how insurers navigate bad faith suits. Here are some of the Colorado cases to watch in the second half of 2024.

  • July 26, 2024

    How Barrett Became The High Court's Justice To Watch

    Justice Amy Coney Barrett has revealed a unique trifecta of caution toward overly broad opinions, devotion to the factual record and concern for the practical effects of court rulings that separates her from the other right-leaning justices and contains the potential to broker more moderate rulings in future terms.

  • July 26, 2024

    Texas Federal Judge Blocks DOL Investment Advice Rule

    A Texas federal judge granted a bid from insurance industry groups to freeze U.S. Department of Labor regulations that expand who qualifies as a fiduciary under federal benefits law, saying the agency's new rule "suffers from many of the same problems" as a previous DOL rule the Fifth Circuit invalidated in 2018.

  • July 26, 2024

    NLRB Finalizes Rollback Of Trump-Era Union Election Rules

    The National Labor Relations Board on Friday finalized its rule rolling back Trump-era changes to union election procedures, restoring policies blocking union representation elections when an employer is alleged to have tainted the vote and insulating unions from removal if an employer voluntarily recognizes them.

  • July 26, 2024

    EU Frees Up €1.5B Of Frozen Russian Assets To Aid Ukraine

    The European Union's executive branch said Friday that it is freeing up €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) of revenue generated from immobilized Russian assets to aid Ukraine in defending itself against the Russian invasion.

  • July 25, 2024

    DOJ Watchdog Criticizes Barr But Clears Him Of Wrongdoing

    The U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog on Thursday chided former Attorney General William Barr for violating DOJ policies via his handling of information regarding an election fraud investigation in Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential election, though it said he didn't technically commit misconduct.

  • July 25, 2024

    Bank-Fintech Risks Put In Spotlight As Agencies Urge Caution

    Federal regulators urged banks on Thursday to be mindful of a host of potential risks when partnering with outside firms to provide deposit products and services, guidance that comes in the wake of a high-profile fintech bankruptcy that has cast a pall over the banking-as-a-service business model.

  • July 25, 2024

    Boeing's 737 Max Plea Deal: Monitorship, Gov't Contracts

    Boeing will be branded with a felony criminal conviction after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud U.S. regulators over the 737 Max 8's development, an ignominious distinction with fresh complications for the embattled American aerospace titan as it overhauls its corporate culture under a compliance monitorship.

  • July 25, 2024

    Meta, Snap Can't Ignore Murder Case Subpoenas, Court Says

    Social media companies' ability to access and use their customers' information means they fall outside the scope of the Stored Communications Act, a California appellate court has ruled, rejecting Meta Platforms Inc. and Snap Inc.'s argument that the SCA's disclosure limitations mean they can't comply with subpoenas in a murder case.

  • July 25, 2024

    Justice Kagan Floats Committee To Enforce High Court Ethics

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday that the high court "should" and "could" create a mechanism like a committee of lower-court judges to enforce a code of conduct, while acknowledging the "complications" in deciding who should be the enforcers.

  • July 25, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives FCA Dispute Over Small Biz Contracts

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday revived a whistleblower False Claims Act case alleging new owners of a construction firm fraudulently secured orders under a program for disadvantaged small businesses, saying those owners should have told the Small Business Administration about the ownership switch.

  • July 25, 2024

    Iowa Says Blocking Its Immigration Law Flouts High Court

    Iowa told the Eighth Circuit on Thursday that a federal judge contorted U.S. Supreme Court precedent by granting the Biden administration's request to block a law criminalizing previously deported noncitizens' entry into the state.

  • July 25, 2024

    Trump Judge Won't Exit Over 'Nothingburger' Atty Encounter

    The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay $465 million in penalties in his civil fraud case Thursday rejected the former president's demand that he step down from the case, saying a brief hallway encounter with an attorney acquaintance was a "nothingburger" that did not influence his decision.

  • July 25, 2024

    Ninth Circ. Vacates, Remands BIA Sexual Misconduct Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded a lower court's ruling that the Bureau of Indian Affairs isn't liable for the actions of one of its officers who sexually assaulted a Northern Cheyenne woman, saying conflicting statements create a factual dispute regarding whether the officer was acting within the scope of his employment.

  • July 25, 2024

    SEC Seeks To Narrow Attack On Nasdaq Board Diversity Rule

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told the Fifth Circuit Thursday that conservative groups objecting to a Nasdaq rule mandating the disclosure of board diversity data can no longer complain about the exchange's offer to help companies recruit applicable candidates because that offer has expired, mooting at least one aspect of a broader attack against the rule.

  • July 25, 2024

    FCC Keeps Chin Up, But Chevron Woes Won't Soon Fade

    After the U.S. Supreme Court term stampeded over long-established elements of administrative law this summer, the future of several major Federal Communications Commission initiatives was cast into doubt, but the agency says it's still optimistic it can navigate the new challenges.

  • July 25, 2024

    Sports Court Confirms US Figure Skating Win In Beijing

    The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected appeals filed by the Russian figure skating team challenging the rankings in the team event during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, a decision that means the U.S. team members will finally be able to collect their gold medals.

  • July 25, 2024

    Newsom Cites High Court In Ordering Encampments Cleared

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered state agencies to start removing homeless encampments on state property while providing outreach services to homeless residents following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave governments broader authority to ban camping in public.

  • July 25, 2024

    NC High Court Signals End To College Building Access Row

    The Tar Heel State's Supreme Court this week unpaused a legal battle between North Carolina State University and a cancer-stricken professor after the two said they had resolved a dispute over testing for carcinogens in a campus building.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC

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    The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

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    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Takeaways From New HHS Substance Use Disorder Info Rules

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    A new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule continues the agency's efforts to harmonize complex rules surrounding confidentiality provisions for substance use disorder patient records, though healthcare providers will need to remain mindful of different potentially applicable requirements and changes that their compliance structures may require, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Reform NEPA To Speed Mining Permits, Clean Energy Shift

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    It is essential to balance responsible regulatory oversight with permit approvals for mining projects that are needed for the transition to renewable energy — and with the National Environmental Policy Act being one of the leading causes of permit delays, reform is urgently needed, say Ana Maria Gutierrez and Michael Miller at Womble Bond.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 in California, which saw efforts to expand consumer protection legislation and enforcement actions in areas of federal focus like medical debt and student loans, demonstrated that the state's role as a trendsetter in consumer financial protection will continue for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 6 PTAB Events To Know From The Last 6 Months

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    The first half of 2024 brought a flurry of Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments that should be considered in post-grant strategies, including proposed rules on discretionary denial and director review, and the first decisions of the Delegated Rehearing Panel, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • Key Takeaways From High Court's Substitute Expert Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Smith v. Arizona decision, holding that the confrontation clause generally bars prosecutors’ use of a substitute expert witness at trial, will have the most impact in narcotics and violent crime cases, but creative defense lawyers may find it useful in white collar cases, too, say Joshua Naftalis and Melissa Kelley at Pallas Partners.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • How Generative AI May Aid Merger Clearance Process

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    Generative artificial intelligence capable of analyzing and searching large datasets stands to revolutionize the merger clearance process, including by significantly reducing the time and effort required to respond to Hart-Scott-Rodino second requests, say Kenneth Koch and Brian Blush at BDO USA.

  • Proposed Customer ID Rule Could Cost Investment Advisers

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    A rule recently proposed by FinCEN and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to make financial advisers collect more customer information parallels an anti-money laundering and counterterrorism rule proposed this spring, but firms may face new compliance costs when implementing these screening programs, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • What Passage Of House Crypto Bill Could Mean For Industry

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    While the prospects of the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, which recently passed the House in a bipartisan fashion, becoming law remain murky, the manner of its passage may give crypto markets a real cause for hope, say Neel Maitra and Dale Beggs at Dechert.

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