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Public Policy
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June 14, 2024
Red State Challenge To EEOC Pregnant Worker Rule Falls Flat
An Arkansas federal judge on Friday rejected a bid from a group of Republican state attorneys' general to freeze the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ahead of its June 18 effective date, refusing to issue an injunction and ruling they lacked standing to invalidate the regulations.
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June 14, 2024
Senate Passes Bill For State, Local Judge Security
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill unanimously to better protect state and local judges from threats amid "unacceptable attacks" on the judiciary.
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June 14, 2024
Dog Adoption Groups Assail 'Radical' CDC Import Rule
A "radical" new rule issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention banning the import of dogs younger than six months does nothing to combat canine rabies and instead will lead to the death of thousands of puppies that U.S. citizens are eager to adopt, according to a suit filed by a group of animal adoption charities.
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June 14, 2024
4 Big ERISA Decisions From The 1st Half Of 2024
A California federal court allowed a novel type of 401(k) mismanagement suit to advance to discovery, the Ninth Circuit elaborated on the pleading standard for mental health parity claims, and workers beat back an attempt to force their federal benefits suit into arbitration at the Second Circuit. Here, attorneys discuss four consequential ERISA decisions in 2024's first half.
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June 14, 2024
Full DC Circ. Won't Hear Foreign Disclosure Penalty Dispute
The D.C. Circuit declined to reconsider its ruling overturning a major U.S. Tax Court decision that had crimped the administrative collection arm of the Internal Revenue Service, letting stand a panel's restoration of the agency's power to more freely penalize undisclosed foreign corporations.
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June 14, 2024
House Passes $884B Defense Bill For 2025
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed an $883.7 billion defense policy and budget bill in a mostly party-line vote after adopting several contentious amendments related to climate change, abortion and diversity programs.
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June 14, 2024
Mass. Pot Regulators Lift Ban On Shipping To Islands
Massachusetts cannabis regulators approved an administrative order that will allow retailers on the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket to source their pot from mainland suppliers.
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June 14, 2024
DOJ's Google Ad Tech Suit Bound For Sept. Trial
A Virginia federal judge said Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing technology used to place ads on third-party websites will go to trial, finding too many factual disputes to let the search giant nix the case.
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June 14, 2024
Justices Endorse 2-Step Notification System For Removals
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday said the federal government's practice of issuing multiple notices to migrants to advise them of removal proceedings is acceptable, ruling that in absentia removal orders can't be rescinded when the government fails to provide the location and time of immigration court hearings in a single document.
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June 14, 2024
Justices Overturn ATF Rule Banning Bump Stocks
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does not have the authority to ban bump stocks, finding that the firearm accessory can't be considered a machine gun for purposes of the National Firearms Act.
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June 14, 2024
No Retroactive Fix For US Trustee Fee Dispute, Justices Say
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the U.S. Trustee's Office on Friday in finding that an amended fee structure implemented before a 2022 ruling that struck down a nonuniform system of payments was all that was needed to resolve the disparate treatment of debtors under the unconstitutional law.
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June 14, 2024
EU Transfer Pricing Law To Involve Basic Rights, Prof Says
A proposed European Union law on transfer pricing would, if adopted, mean the EU's charter of fundamental rights became relevant to transfer pricing disputes, a tax professor said Friday.
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June 13, 2024
Seattle Port Presses Ex-Police Chief At Trial On HR Bashing
The Port of Seattle confronted its former police chief on the stand Thursday in attempt to show it lawfully fired him for retaliating against an officer, presenting to jurors an email in which the ex-chief criticized the officer for complaining to HR, "the one place who would give him sanctuary."
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June 13, 2024
CFPB's Chopra Sees 'Pressing Need' For Data Protections
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra zeroed in on data usage and privacy during a Thursday hearing with House lawmakers, calling for sharper limits on what financial firms can do with customer data while also seeking to assuage concerns about his agency's plans for data sharing and data broker rules.
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June 13, 2024
Menendez Trial Delayed After Co-Defendant Gets COVID
The bribery trial against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and associates has been halted for at least two days because co-defendant Fred Daibes has COVID-19, a judge said Thursday afternoon.
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June 13, 2024
Ex-Colo. DA Rips Current Prosecutor Over Conduct In Murder Case
A prominent former Colorado district attorney on Thursday roundly criticized a sitting prosecutor accused of misconduct, noting her freewheeling commentary about ongoing cases led to dismissals and suggested she refused to acknowledge the team she led had been "a bunch of disorganized, sloppy lawyers."
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June 13, 2024
Tribal Casino Tells 7th Circ. Ill. City Rigged Proposal Votes
A proposed tribal casino has asked the Seventh Circuit to undo a lower court ruling that found Waukegan, Ill., did not intentionally discriminate against it when the city chose three other competitors to operate casinos, saying the city ran a rigged review process.
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June 13, 2024
House Hearing On NY Trump Prosecutors Flirts With Chaos
The House Judiciary Committee spiraled Thursday morning after Rep. Matt Gaetz demanded a vote to subpoena Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who charged former President Donald Trump with 34 felonies, of which he has been convicted, and the Republican chair of the committee had to call for a recess.
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June 13, 2024
Vt. Gov. Blocks 'Outlier' Data Privacy Bill With Lawsuit Trigger
Vermont's governor on Thursday vetoed a legislative proposal that would have given consumers not only new data privacy rights but also the rare opportunity to sue large businesses for certain violations, expressing concerns with the significant "risks" created by the "outlier" measure and urging the Legislature to instead embrace the model adopted by Connecticut and more than a dozen other states.
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June 13, 2024
FTC's Ferguson Says He's A Law Enforcer, Not A Policymaker
Recently minted Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson said Thursday that he views his new role as a law enforcer and not a policymaker and said the biggest issue for antitrust law right now is dealing with Big Tech.
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June 13, 2024
Ending Flores Settlement Won't Endanger Children, Feds Say
The Biden administration said a recent regulation it contends warrants winding down the 27-year-old Flores settlement governing health and safety standards for minors in immigration detention can address concerns that human rights organizations raised about the continued use of unlicensed facilities.
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June 13, 2024
FERC Faces Chorus Of Calls To Rethink Grid Policy Overhaul
Dozens of requests that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reconsider parts or all of its sweeping revision of its regional transmission planning policies have been filed, some of which could telegraph future court challenges if the agency ultimately sticks to its guns. Here's a roundup of the notable issues raised in the rehearing requests for FERC Order No. 1920.
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June 13, 2024
FCC Wants To Revamp Citizens Broadband Radio Service
The head of the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday asked fellow members to back an overhaul of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, a spectrum-sharing arrangement developed during Barack Obama's presidency.
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June 13, 2024
Chinese Officials Promise Response On EV Tariffs
A Chinese Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Thursday that Beijing "will take all measures necessary" to combat planned European Union tariffs on its electric-vehicle exports, after Brussels announced preliminary countervailing duty rates of up to 38.1%.
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June 13, 2024
NJ Justices Create New Liability Rule For Property Owners
The New Jersey Supreme Court on Thursday voted 4-3 to craft a new rule stating that owners of commercial vacant lots have a duty to maintain the public sidewalks abutting the lots, and reinstated a woman's trip-and-fall injury suit.
Expert Analysis
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Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging
In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.
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Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting
U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors
Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.
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IRS Sings New Tune: Whistleblower Form Update Is Welcome
In a significant reform at the Internal Revenue Service's Whistleblower Office, the recently introduced revisions to the Form 211 whistleblower award application use new technology and a more intuitive approach to streamline the process of reporting allegations of tax fraud committed by wealthy individuals and companies, says Benjamin Calitri at Kohn Kohn.
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Strategies For Challenging A Fla. Grand Jury Report's Release
A Florida grand jury’s recent report on potential wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines should serve as a reminder to attorneys to review the myriad legal mechanisms available to challenge the lawfulness of a grand jury report’s publication and expunge the names of their clients, says Cary Aronovitz at Holland & Knight.
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Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Tenn. Law Protecting Artists From AI Raises Novel Issues
Tennessee recently enacted a law that extends the right of publicity protection to individuals' voices in an attempt to control the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the music industry, presenting fascinating questions about the First Amendment, the fair use doctrine and more, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Consumer Privacy Takeaways From FTC Extraterritorial Action
With what appears to be its first privacy-related consent agreement with a non-U.S. business, the Federal Trade Commission establishes that its reach is extraterritorial and that consumer internet browsing data is sensitive data, and there are lessons for any multinational business that handles consumer information, say Olivia Greer and Alexis Bello at Weil.
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FDIC Bank Merger Reviews Could Get More Burdensome
Recently proposed changes to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. bank merger review process would expand the agency's administrative processes, impose new evidentiary burdens on parties around competitive effects and other statutory approval factors, and continue the trend of long and unpredictable processing periods, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Calif. Housing Overhaul May Increase Pressure On Landlords
Two recently enacted California laws signal new protections and legal benefits for tenants, but also elevate landlords' financial exposure at a time when they are already facing multiple other hardships, says Laya Dogmetchi at Much Shelist.
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A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA
In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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Navigating Kentucky's New Consumer Privacy Law
On April 4, Kentucky passed a new law that imposes obligations on affected businesses relating to the collection, use and sale of personal data — and those operating within the state must prepare for a new regulatory landscape governing the handling of consumer data, say Risa Boerner and Martha Vázquez at Fisher Phillips.
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New Wash. Laws Employers Should Pay Attention To
The Washington Legislature ended its session last month after passing substantial laws that should prompt employers to spring into action — including a broadened equal pay law to cover classes beyond gender, narrowed sick leave payment requirements for construction workers and protections for grocery workers after a merger, say Hannah Ard and Alayna Piwonski at Lane Powell.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.