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Public Policy
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October 09, 2024
5th Circ. Denies Extension For CFPB In Exam Policy Case
The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday denied the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unopposed request for a short deadline extension in its appeal over an examination policy that industry groups successfully sued to block last year, prompting the agency to ask for more time again.
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October 09, 2024
Colo. Accuses Albertsons Of Competitor Flip-Flop For Merger
Colorado enforcers accused Albertsons of "saying whatever they think will get their merger," confronting the supermarket chain's CEO on Wednesday with past comments to federal regulators they said showed that Albertsons flipped who it considers a competitor ahead of a proposed merger with Kroger.
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October 09, 2024
NC AG Urges NC Justices To Ax Duke Energy Rate Hike
The North Carolina Supreme Court has been hit with a barrage of briefs urging the justices to overturn the State Utilities Commission's allegedly "unlawful" rate increase for Duke Energy Carolinas, with North Carolina Attorney General Joshua H. Stein calling the rate change "arbitrary and capricious."
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October 09, 2024
Justices Fear Harm To Atty Reputations In Death Penalty Case
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed concern Wednesday about the reputational harm two former Oklahoma prosecutors were facing in light of the state's claim that they withheld evidence and presented false testimony to secure the conviction of a prisoner on death row — allegations over which the justices seem likely to order further proceedings.
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October 09, 2024
5th Circ. Asks If Drag Ban Different From Obscenity Laws
A Fifth Circuit panel wrangled with First Amendment questions surrounding a Texas law banning drag shows in front of children, with a judge asking an LGBTQ nonprofit how Texas' law was different from a law banning "sexual intercourse" or "sodomy" in downtown New Orleans during oral arguments Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
Gensler Mum On Future As AI, Crypto Rules Await Action
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler declined to comment Wednesday on his or the agency's future should former U.S. President Donald Trump win a second term in office this November, even as questions remain about the post-election future of proposed regulations, like those that would safeguard crypto assets and crack down on the use of predictive data analytics.
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October 09, 2024
RFK Jr. Jumps Into TikTok Ban Fight At DC Circ.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined the fray in litigation at the D.C. Circuit challenging a federal law that could put TikTok out of business in the United States, contending in a new lawsuit that the sale-or-ban statute defies the First Amendment.
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October 09, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Extend Voter Registration After Helene
Would-be voters in the Peach State won't get an extra week to register for the November 2024 election — at least not yet — after a Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she hadn't seen sufficient support for the claim that registrations were significantly hampered by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
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October 09, 2024
Wash. Justices To Weigh $185M PCB Case Against Monsanto
The Washington State Supreme Court will consider school teachers' bid to reinstate a $185 million jury verdict against Monsanto in a chemical poisoning tort, marking the first in a series of cases tied to the same school to make it all the way to the state's high court.
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October 09, 2024
Atty, Claims Firm Barred From Soliciting Foreclosure Class
A Michigan law firm and a third-party claims firm agreed Wednesday not to solicit potential members to an action alleging Michigan counties kept profits from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties, following a meeting with class attorneys who had urged a judge to bar them from attempting to poach class members.
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October 09, 2024
Another Supreme Court Term, Another Call For Ethics Reform
The new term for the U.S. Supreme Court began on Monday under a cloud of alleged ethics improprieties by several justices.
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October 09, 2024
DOJ Offers Menu Of Options For Google Search Fix
An outline of potential fixes lodged Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice in the search monopolization case against Google ranges from a ban on the default search engine pacts at the heart of the case to the forced sale of its Android operating system or other business units.
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October 09, 2024
SF Leaders Not Backing City's High Court Case Against EPA
With oral arguments just a week away, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the city attorney to drop a U.S. Supreme Court case against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a Clean Water Act permit.
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October 09, 2024
11th Circ. Told Fla. Venue Can't Show Injury In Drag Show Law
Florida told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that it should be allowed to implement a law prohibiting children from attending drag shows, arguing that an Orlando bar that sued to stop the law's enforcement hasn't met its burden showing an injury traceable to the state.
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October 09, 2024
Texas Electric Co-Op Says EPA Mercury Rule Must Be Nixed
A Texas electricity co-operative on Tuesday backed a D.C. Circuit challenge to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule curbing mercury and other toxic metal emissions at some coal-fired power plants, saying the agency fudged data to saddle the co-op with unachievable emissions reduction requirements.
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October 09, 2024
Settlement Approved For DACA Loan Discrimination Suit
A California federal judge gave the green light to a settlement that will end a proposed class action accusing First Tech Federal Credit Union of denying home loans to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
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October 09, 2024
How Built Environment Interacts With Climate Risk
As worsening disasters result in skyrocketing property insurance rates, CoreLogic data shows that construction decisions can cause significant variations in climate risk, even in neighboring counties.
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October 09, 2024
European Parliament Backs Brazil's G20 Wealth Tax Plan
A majority of the European Parliament supports a 2% minimum tax on billionaires presented by Brazil at the Group of 20 nations meeting, asking the European Union to pursue the topic at the group's November summit, according to joint statements by members of Parliament on Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
Tenn. Extends Tax Deadlines Due To Hurricane Helene
Tennessee will extend its franchise and excise tax filing deadlines to May 1 for taxpayers affected by Hurricane Helene, the state Department of Reveue announced.
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October 09, 2024
Yale Must Answer Ex-Student's 'Execution' Fears, Judge Says
A judge has ordered Yale University to respond to an expelled student's fears of execution if he is deported to Afghanistan as she mulls lifting a ban on naming a classmate who accused the ex-student of sexual assault in litigation connected to a key Title IX ruling.
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October 09, 2024
AT&T Fights Phone 'Unlocking' Rules Floated At FCC
AT&T called on the Federal Communications Commission to abandon plans to require the "unlocking" of cellphones after 60 days to let customers switch carriers, saying wireless competition is already "fierce" and the FCC's plan would only hurt consumers.
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October 09, 2024
Ag Groups Defend Farm Emissions Reporting Exemption
Agricultural industry groups called on a Washington, D.C., federal judge to toss green groups' claims alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in exempting factory farms from pollution-reporting requirements, arguing the agency merely implemented Congress' command.
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October 09, 2024
NY Tribe Urges Court To Keep Door Open On 911 Lawsuit
The Cayuga Nation is fighting a bid by two New York counties to dismiss its lawsuit over their alleged refusals to forward 911 calls to tribal police, arguing that on its face, it's hard to deny that something is amiss in the municipalities' efforts to ensure its reservation members' protection.
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October 09, 2024
Louisiana Judge Reopens EPA's Enforcement Against Denka
A Louisiana federal judge on Tuesday reopened the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lawsuit alleging some of a neoprene manufacturer's air emissions pose a health threat to the surrounding community.
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October 09, 2024
Unclear Road For $275M Biz Tax Plan, DC Panel Chair Says
The District of Columbia Tax Revision Commission may scrap a proposal for a business activity tax that could raise $275 million annually to reduce other business taxes, the panel chair said Wednesday.
Expert Analysis
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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ESA Ruling May Jeopardize Gulf Of Mexico Drilling Operations
A Maryland federal court's recent decision in Sierra Club v. National Marine Fisheries Service, vacating key Endangered Species Act analyses of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, may create a gap in guidance that could expose operators to enforcement risk and even criminal liability, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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The State Law Landscape After Justices' Social Media Ruling
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent NetChoice ruling on social media platforms’ First Amendment rights, it’s still unclear if state content moderation laws are constitutional, leaving online operators to face a patchwork of regulation, and the potential for the issue to return to the high court, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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What's Next For Federal Preemption In Financial Services
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's review of its preemption interpretations and growing pressure from state regulators signal potential changes ahead for preemption in U.S. financial services, and the path forward will likely involve a reevaluation of the entire framework, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Avoiding Corporate Political Activity Pitfalls This Election Year
As Election Day approaches, corporate counsel should be mindful of the complicated rules around companies engaging in political activities, including super PAC contributions, pay-to-play prohibitions and foreign agent restrictions, say attorneys at Covington.
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Opinion
Congress Must Do More To Bolster ERISA Protections
As the Employee Retirement Income Security Act turns 50 this month, we applaud Congress for championing a statute that protects worker and retiree rights, but further action is needed to ban arbitration clauses in plan provisions and codify regulations imperiled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling, say Michelle Yau and Eleanor Frisch at Cohen Milstein.
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Increased Scrutiny Raises Int'l Real Estate Transaction Risks
Recently proposed regulations expanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' oversight, a White House divestment order and state-level legislative efforts signal increasing scrutiny of real estate transactions that may trigger national security concerns, say Luciano Racco and Aleksis Fernández Caballero at Foley Hoag.
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Navigating Cybersecurity Rule Changes For Gov't Contractors
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
As federal contractors evaluate the security of their IT systems, they should keep in mind numerous changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulations and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement recently promulgated to meet new cyber threats, says William Stowe at KBR.
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Financial Incentives May Alleviate Affordable Housing Crisis
There is a wide array of financial incentives and assistance that the government can provide to both real estate developers and individuals to chip away at the housing affordability problem from multiple angles, say Eric DeBear and Madeline Williams at Cozen.
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How Fund Advisers Can Limit Election Year Pay-To-Play Risks
With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz now the Democratic candidate for vice president, politically active investment advisers should take practical steps to avoid triggering strict pay-to-play rules that can lead to fund managers facing mutli-year timeouts from working with public funds after contributing to sitting officials, say attorneys at Dechert.
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FTC Focus: What Access To Patent Settlements Would Mean
Settling parties should adopt a series of practice tips, including specifying rationales to support specific terms, as the Federal Trade Commission seeks to expand its access to settlements before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, say Shannon McGowan and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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How NJ Temp Equal Pay Survived A Constitutional Challenge
The Third Circuit recently gave the New Jersey Temporary Workers' Bill of Rights a new lease on life by systematically dismantling multiple theories of the act's unconstitutionality brought by staffing agencies hoping to delay their new equal pay and benefits obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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Opinion
CFPB's AI Stance Backslides On Innovation Issues
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.