Public Policy

  • July 03, 2024

    Menendez's Focus On Ally's Case Was Legitimate, Jury Told

    Sen. Robert Menendez rested his bribery defense Wednesday after a prominent criminal defense attorney testified that Menendez was not alone in finding a certain prosecution "abusive," rebutting the notion that the lawmaker's interest was part of a quid pro quo.

  • July 03, 2024

    Ex-Conn. Goodwill Exec Says Whistleblowing Ended His Job

    The former top executive at Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut Inc. has launched a state court lawsuit alleging he was fired for complaining about the nonprofit's governance, questioning statements on its IRS filings and expressing doubts about a proposed merger. 

  • July 03, 2024

    24 AGs Urge High Court To Preserve Ghost Gun Regs

    A coalition of 24 attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a new federal regulation regarding the weapon parts kits consumers can purchase and use to build ghost guns — firearms without serial numbers — treating them the same way preassembled firearms are, saying the new rule is "crucial to preventing and solving violent, firearm-related offenses."

  • July 03, 2024

    Alaskan Tribe Says It Can't Get Access To Burial Site

    The governing body of an Alaska Native Tribe is suing several state entities and the Federal Aviation Administration, claiming they are preventing the tribe from performing excavations of archaeological artifacts and ancestral remains found during construction of an airport runway.

  • July 03, 2024

    Chevron Irrelevant To Spouse Work Permit Case, Group Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that courts don't have to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes doesn't pertain to a lawsuit challenging an Obama-era program allowing work permits for spouses of highly skilled foreign workers, a nonprofit group intervening in the case told the D.C. Circuit.

  • July 03, 2024

    SEC Says Apparel Co.'s Preemptive Crypto Suit Is Unripe

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told a Texas federal judge on Wednesday a crypto industry group and apparel company can't sue the regulator over its alleged "digital-asset policy" since the parties can't point to any rule or action to challenge.

  • July 03, 2024

    NYC Pensions Defeat Challenge To Fossil Fuel Divestments

    A trio of New York City pension plans on Wednesday beat a lawsuit claiming they'd damaged public employees' retirement funds by removing $3.9 billion from investments in fossil fuels, with a New York state judge ruling the workers hadn't shown they'd been harmed by the divestments.

  • July 03, 2024

    Vietnam Wood Circumvention Duties Are Sound, Feds Say

    The U.S. Department of Commerce urged the U.S. Court of International Trade to uphold its circumvention duties on Vietnamese plywood found to contain materials from China, saying that importers and producers failed to provide timely evidence disproving the allegations, despite having ample opportunity.

  • July 03, 2024

    Rochester Says Chevron Ruling May Impact Telecom Fee Deal

    The city of Rochester is clashing with Verizon Wireless, Crown Castle and Extenet in New York federal court over the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning the Chevron deference amid litigation over how much the city can charge telecoms to do business.

  • July 03, 2024

    Red States Get ACA Trans Discrimination Rule Blocked

    Federal judges in Mississippi and Texas granted conservatives states' requests Wednesday to freeze a new rule protecting access to healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community, with both judges ruling that states are likely to succeed in showing that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overstepped when it created the regulations.

  • July 03, 2024

    FCC Says No To Rethink Of $25M Aid Denial For Cell Towers

    The Federal Communications Commission says it's not going to rethink its decision to say no to $25.5 million in aid to build 16 cell towers, because even though it's a group of California school districts that is asking, the funds are earmarked for schools, and it was never explained how the towers would benefit the students or staff.

  • July 03, 2024

    FTC Warns Cos. Over Warranties That Limit Right To Repair

    The Federal Trade Commission is warning a group of air purifier sellers, treadmill makers and gaming tech companies not to scare their customers from using independent dealers to repair their products, saying their use of "warranty void" notices might be in violation of federal right-to-repair laws.

  • July 03, 2024

    California Tribe Sues Over 'Princeology' RICO Scheme

    A California tribe is suing its former council chairwoman and two members of her nonprofit's board of directors, alleging they devised a scheme to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and insurance costs to cover her Prince memorabilia collection and continue to "squat" on its property to block its sale.

  • July 03, 2024

    5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch For In July

    Republican state attorneys general will try to convince the Fifth Circuit to knock down a U.S. Department of Labor rule covering how retirement plan managers can consider environmental and social factors when picking investments, while Kellogg workers will challenge class action waivers at the Sixth Circuit. Here are five argument sessions coming up this month that benefits attorneys should keep an eye on.

  • July 03, 2024

    UT Students Join Suit Over Gov. Abbott's Antisemitism Order

    Students at the University of Texas at Austin have joined a group of student organizations suing Gov. Greg Abbott over an executive order prohibiting certain criticisms of Israel at universities, writing in a motion for a preliminary injunction that the groups' First Amendment injuries will "metastasize" when school starts this fall.

  • July 03, 2024

    Wash. Justices Say City RV Camping Ban Is Constitutional

    The Washington Supreme Court upheld a city ordinance on Wednesday banning recreational vehicles and trailers from parking on municipal streets for more than four hours, rejecting a man's argument that the law violated his constitutional travel rights by barring him from living indefinitely in his 23-foot trailer on city property.

  • July 03, 2024

    FCC Denies 'Blanket Amnesty' If Cos. Drop Network Projects

    The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday it will not provide blanket relief from FCC penalties against broadband providers that pull out of rural deployment commitments, but will weigh companies' individual circumstances.

  • July 03, 2024

    Asylum-Seeking Families Split At Border Get $1.3M Deal OK'd

    An Arizona federal judge on Tuesday signed off on a $1.3 million settlement that the federal government reached with families who were separated at the southern border in 2018 amid the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy that prosecuted migrants who entered the U.S. illegally. 

  • July 03, 2024

    No 'Unfettered Discretion' For Zoning Boards: Mich. Justices

    The Michigan Supreme Court has held that conditionally rezoning a property is only valid if the property's proposed use is already allowed under a town's ordinances, instructing a trial court to determine whether a racing dragway is a permitted use under a township's commercial zone.

  • July 03, 2024

    FCC Says Assurance Failed Blind Customer On Accessibility

    T-Mobile unit Assurance made one of its blind customers spend the better part of three years going back and forth with it about getting an accessible device, which it was required to provide under the Federal Communications Commission's rules for the Lifeline subsidy program, the FCC said.

  • July 03, 2024

    Cannabis Cos. To Take Constitutional Challenge To 1st Circ.

    A group of cannabis businesses challenging the federal prohibition on marijuana gave notice of appeal Wednesday to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

  • July 03, 2024

    Judge Trims Retailer's Defenses In Long COVID EEOC Suit

    A Colorado federal judge struck several of an appliance retailer's affirmative defenses Wednesday in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging it wrongfully terminated a worker who asked for more time off to deal with long COVID symptoms.

  • July 03, 2024

    Texas Court Puts FTC's Noncompete Ban On Hold

    A Texas federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Federal Trade Commission from enforcing its rule banning noncompete agreements against tax preparation company Ryan LLC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and suggested the regulation should be shot down.

  • July 03, 2024

    2nd Circ. Backs NY Campaign Finance Laws Favoring Parties

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to New York state campaign finance laws that created a stricter set of rules for candidate-nominating independent bodies than for more established political parties.

  • July 03, 2024

    NC Solicitor General Faces GOP Roadblock To 4th Circ. Bench

    President Joe Biden's selection of North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park for a Fourth Circuit seat tops off a distinguished resume that includes a Harvard Law degree and a stint at Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, but he still faces an uphill road to the bench amid pushback from Tar Heel State senators.

Expert Analysis

  • Big Banks Face Potential Broader Recovery Plan Rules

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent call for potentially subjecting more banks to recovery planning standards would represent a significant expansion of the scope of the recovery guidelines, and banks that would be affected should assess whether they’re prepared, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • New Laws, Regs Mean More Scrutiny Of Airline Carbon Claims

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    Recent climate disclosure laws and regulations in the U.S. and Europe mean that scrutiny of airlines' green claims will likely continue to intensify — so carriers must make sure their efforts to reduce carbon emissions through use of sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and carbon offsets measure up to their marketing, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • What Employers Need To Know About Colorado's New AI Law

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    The Colorado AI Act, enacted in May and intended to regulate the use of high-risk artificial intelligence systems to prevent algorithmic discrimination, is broad in scope and will apply to businesses using AI for certain employment purposes, imposing numerous compliance obligations and potential liability, say Laura Malugade and Owen Davis at Husch Blackwell.

  • What DOL Fiduciary Rule Means For Private Fund Managers

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the U.S. Department of Labor's recently released final fiduciary rule, which revises the agency's 1975 regulation, could potentially cause private fund managers' current marketing practices and communications to be considered fiduciary advice, and therefore subject them to strict prohibitions.

  • Best Practices For Chemical Transparency In Supply Chains

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    A flurry of new and forthcoming regulations in different jurisdictions that require disclosure of potentially hazardous substances used in companies' products and processes will require businesses to take proactive steps to build chemical transparency into their supply chains, and engage robustly and systematically with vendors, says Jillian Stacy at Enhesa.

  • What 11th Circ. Fearless Fund Ruling Means For DEI In Courts

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent backing of a freeze on the Fearless Fund's grants to women of color building new companies marks the latest major development in litigation related to diversity, equity and inclusion and may be used to question other DEI programs targeted at providing opportunities to certain classes of individuals, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Opinion

    Paid Noncompetes Offer A Better Solution Than FTC's Ban

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    A better alternative to the Federal Trade Commission's recent and widely contested noncompete ban would be a nationwide bright-line rule requiring employers to pay employees during the noncompete period, says Steven Kayman at Rottenberg Lipman.

  • Opinion

    Flawed Fintiv Rule Should Be Deemed Overreach In Tech Suit

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    A pending federal lawsuit over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's unilateral changes to key elements of the America Invents Act, Apple v. Vidal, could shift the balance of power between Congress and federal agencies, as it could justify future instances of unelected officials unilaterally changing laws, say Patrick Leahy and Bob Goodlatte.

  • Unpacking The Latest Tranche Of Sanctions Targeting Russia

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    Hundreds of new U.S. sanctions and export-control measures targeting trade with Russia, issued last week in connection with the G7 summit, illustrate the fluidity of trade-focused restrictions and the need to constantly refresh compliance analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.

  • Navigating New Safe Harbor For Domestic Content Tax Credits

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s recent notice simplifying domestic content calculations for certain solar, onshore wind and battery storage projects, which directly acknowledges the difficulty for taxpayers in gathering data to support a domestic content analysis, should make it easier to qualify additional domestic content bonus tax credits, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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