Public Policy

  • October 11, 2024

    Elon Musk's X Drops Unilever From Advertising Boycott Suit

    X Corp. has dropped Unilever from its antitrust suit accusing the global consumer goods company and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the social media platform, announcing in a post Friday that it's "pleased to have reached an agreement with Unilever" and "we look forward to more resolution."

  • October 11, 2024

    Tribes, Enviro Orgs. Can Defend EPA In Pebble Mine Row

    A federal judge in Alaska has allowed a slew of environmental groups and Alaskan tribes to defend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to block the planned creation of the controversial Pebble Mine, saying they made a convincing argument that intervention is warranted.

  • October 11, 2024

    5th Circ. Broke Precedent In FCC Subsidy Case, Justices Told

    The Fifth Circuit not only split with two other appeals courts when it overturned the revenue base for the Federal Communications Commission's telecom subsidy programs, but also broke with U.S. Supreme Court precedent, advocacy groups told justices Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: CBD Injuries & The Clean Water Act

    The U.S. Supreme Court will be closed Monday, but the justices will return to the bench Tuesday to hear arguments over whether the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act allows litigants to pursue claims of economic harm tied to personal injuries, and how specific pollutant discharge limits have to be under the Clean Water Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel Gets Trimmed $92M Fee In ACA Cases

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP will get $92 million in fees from a $3.7 billion win in two class actions against the government over risk corridor payments under the Affordable Care Act, a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge ruled Thursday, trimming the firm's renewed $185 million request.

  • October 11, 2024

    Ill. Restaurants Fire Back At Banks' Bid To Halt Swipe Fee Law

    Trade groups for restaurants and retailers have urged an Illinois federal judge to reject a proposed preliminary injunction to block a first-of-its-kind state law restricting swipe fees, arguing that relief from such fees is badly needed for small family businesses and consumers.

  • October 11, 2024

    Wash. DOT Settles Deadly Highway Tree Fall Suit For $775K

    The Washington State Department of Transportation will pay $775,000 to the surviving members of a family who sued the agency after a Douglas fir fell on their vehicle while they were traveling along a state highway on the Olympic Peninsula in 2017, causing two deaths and devastating injuries to the survivors.

  • October 11, 2024

    6th Circ. Blocks Work On Tenn. Pipeline For TVA Gas Plant

    A split Sixth Circuit panel on Friday temporarily blocked construction of a Kinder Morgan unit's pipeline that would serve a Tennessee Valley Authority natural gas-fired power plant in Cumberland City, as conservation groups challenge Clean Water Act permits Tennessee and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued for the pipeline.

  • October 11, 2024

    Phone Unlocking Advances Digital Equity, Civic Group Says

    Setting federal rules that dictate when mobile providers have to unlock a customer's device, allowing people to switch providers without having to buy a new phone, would improve digital equity, says a group that promotes Black civic participation.

  • October 11, 2024

    Secret Docs May Delay Foreign Agent Case, Ex-Fla. Rep Says

    A former Florida congressman told a Miami federal judge on Friday that he's requested evidence from prosecutors that may exonerate him on criminal charges of failing to register as a foreign agent while lobbying for Venezuela, saying the discovery implicates classified information that may delay proceedings in his case.

  • October 11, 2024

    Unions Say EPA Rule Contains Protective Wear Loophole

    Two major trade unions told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promulgated a rule that lets the agency consider the use of personal protective equipment when conducting risk evaluations, in violation of federal law.

  • October 11, 2024

    DOD Finalizes High-Profile Contractor Cybersecurity Rule

    The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday finalized a rule implementing its sweeping Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, which will attach a minimum cybersecurity requirement to nearly all DOD contracts.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cable Biz Says Feds Need To Remove Barriers To Broadband

    The cable industry is making its case at the Federal Communications Commission that while advanced telecom service is being deployed in a "reasonable and timely" fashion, the feds should remove regulatory barriers to hasten deployment.

  • October 11, 2024

    Google Says High Court Shouldn't Pause Ad Tech Subpoena

    Google told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that there's no need to pause a South Carolina agency's bid to quash a document request in a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital ad technology, saying the agency has no chance of succeeding.

  • October 11, 2024

    Dem AGs Urge Judge To Rule Now On FDA Abortion Pill Regs

    Washington and 16 other states with Democratic attorneys general are pressing a federal judge to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to lift restrictions on access to mifepristone, arguing that the agency is swayed by the controversy swirling around the abortion medication that has been proved to be safer than Tylenol, Viagra and insulin.

  • October 11, 2024

    Court Allows Calif. Hemp Ban To Remain In Effect

    A California state judge on Friday ruled that the Golden State's new ban on hemp products with THC will remain in effect, rejecting a bid by a leading hemp industry trade organization and the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech and Chong to halt the emergency rules.

  • October 11, 2024

    Parties Look To Vacate 40-Year-Old Ore. Tribal Fishing Decree

    The U.S. government, Oregon and a Native American tribe are asking a federal court to vacate a 1980 agreement that established hunting and fishing rights for the tribe, arguing that the consent decree was a product of its time and represented a distorted view on tribal sovereignty.

  • October 11, 2024

    Texan Who Sued Ex's Colleagues Over Abortion Drops Suit

    A Texas man who filed a wrongful-death suit against his ex-wife's co-workers that alleged that they helped her obtain pills to terminate her pregnancy has dropped the suit on the eve of trial, saying in a notice Friday that the parties have settled.

  • October 11, 2024

    Seattle Police Guild Tells Judge Shooting Didn't Warrant Firing

    A Seattle police officers' union argued in Washington state court on Friday a former cop acted reasonably when she shot at a suspect fleeing in a stolen vehicle, defending an arbitrator's decision to downgrade her firing to a 60-day suspension amid a challenge by the city.

  • October 11, 2024

    EB-5 Investor Urges Rollback Of Immigration Fee Hikes

    An EB-5 immigrant investor urged a Colorado federal judge to set aside controversial immigration fee increases that took effect in April, arguing that a 2022 law required a study from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the immigrant investor program fees could be raised.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cornell Case Gives Justices Chance To Curb ERISA Litigation

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear a retirement fee suit from Cornell workers means new precedent is coming that could harmonize an uneven set of circuit standards for what it takes to pursue a prohibited transaction claim under federal benefits law, attorneys say.

  • October 11, 2024

    FTC's Republicans Take Aim At Agency Merger Data

    The Federal Trade Commission's two Republican members criticized a long-standing agency policy of reporting "abandoned" transactions that were never notified to the antitrust agencies as wins, while dissenting from an annual congressional report on merger reviews.

  • October 11, 2024

    US Law 'Wins,' Judge Says, Nixing Treaty Challenge To Duties

    The U.S. Court of International Trade has rejected a steel importer's arguments that U.S. antidumping duties need reworking to comply with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, stating that U.S. law "wins" when in conflict with an international treaty.

  • October 11, 2024

    Feds Designate 3rd-Largest Marine Sanctuary Off Calif. Coast

    The Biden administration on Friday said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is designating more than 4,500 square miles of ocean off California's central coast as the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cornel West's Ballot Bid Too Late For Pennsylvania

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has denied third-party presidential candidate Cornel West's bid to be added to the Keystone State's election ballots, ruling Thursday that the court's concerns about the constitutionality of stricter rules for minor parties were outweighed by the likely disruption of adding new candidates after voting was already underway.

Expert Analysis

  • Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming

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    The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Ruling On Foreign Dividend Break Offers 2 Tax Court Insights

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    In Varian v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court allowed a taxpayer's deduction for dividends from foreign subsidiaries, providing clarity on how the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision may affect challenges to Treasury regulations, and revealing a potential disallowance of foreign tax credits, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • How Loper Bright Is Affecting Pending FCC Litigation

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    Pending challenges against Federal Communications Commission orders at the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright highlight that counsel must be familiar with the statutes, regulations and precedent relevant to the FCC to best navigate the rapidly changing compliance landscape, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • What PCOAB's Broadened Liability Rule Means For Auditors

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent vote agreeing to lower the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's liability standard, allowing the board to charge individual auditors whose mere negligence leads firms into PCOAB violations, may erode inspection cooperation, shrink the talent pool and have anticompetitive outcomes, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • USPTO Guidance Suggests 2 Strategies For AI Inventions

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    Analyzing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent guidance, it appears that there are at least two paths for establishing that an artificial intelligence invention is eligible for protection, and that which strategy to use may turn on how broadly the invention is applied, says William Morriss at Frost Brown.

  • Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2

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    Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 4 Takeaways From The FDIC's Proposed Recordkeeping Rule

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new proposed rule would impose recordkeeping and other compliance requirements on custodial deposit accounts with transactional features, and practitioners should be aware of four important factors, including who is affected and who is exempt, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Navigating Restrictions Following Biotech Bill House Passage

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    Ahead of the BIOSECURE Act’s potential enactment, companies that obtain equipment from certain Chinese biotechnology companies should consider whether the act would restrict their ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. government and what steps they might take in response, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage

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    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Presidents And Precedents May Direct Khan's Future Course

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    While the Sept. 25 technical expiration of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's term demands no immediate action, it does invite an analysis of commission policy and post-election possibilities, says Axinn's Richard Dagen, a former FTC official.

  • SEC Settlement Holds Important Pay-To-Play Lessons

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent fine of an investment adviser, whose new hire made a campaign contribution within a crucial lookback period, is a seasonable reminder for public fund managers to ensure their processes thoroughly screen all associates for even minor violations of the SEC’s strict pay-to-play rule, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • What's In Colorado's 1st-Of-Its-Kind Neural Privacy Law

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    Colorado recently became the first U.S. state to directly regulate neurotechnology with new legislation amending the Colorado Privacy Act to specifically protect biological and neural data, offering an example of how lawmakers can tackle the perceived regulation gaps in this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare

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    A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • 7 Takeaways For Companies After Justices' Bribery Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Snyder v. U.S. decision this summer, holding that a federal law does not criminalize after-the-fact gratuities made to public officials, raises some key considerations for companies that engage with state, local and tribal governments, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

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