Public Policy

  • November 21, 2024

    FCC To Hit Video Doorbell Maker For Skirting Security Rules

    The Federal Communications Commission wants to slap Chinese smart home device maker Eken with a more than $700,000 fine for breaking agency rules that require foreign companies to have an agent located in the U.S.

  • November 21, 2024

    Fed's Bowman Sees The Bright Side In Chevron's Demise

    Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, a Republican seen as a potential Trump administration contender for the central bank's top supervision job, chided the regulatory response to last year's regional bank failures and said the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision could "transform agency rulemakings positively."

  • November 21, 2024

    DOD Needs To Do More To Fix Military Housing, OIG Says

    The U.S. Department of Defense failed to properly identify and fix health, safety and environmental hazards in military housing, according to a Thursday report from the DOD's Office of Inspector General.

  • November 21, 2024

    Judge Suggests 1st Circ. Should Hear Lobster Tracking Case

    A federal judge in Maine on Thursday tossed a case by lobster fishermen suing to keep their fishing routes secret from state observation, but the judge encouraged the lobstermen to appeal the ruling so that a federal appeals court can wade into this "significant" Fourth Amendment dispute.

  • November 21, 2024

    Fuel Economy Regs Are Unlawful Path To EVs, 6th Circ. Told

    Republican-led states and fuel industry groups have told the Sixth Circuit that the U.S. Department of Transportation overstepped with new vehicle fuel-economy standards that amount to an unlawful electric vehicles mandate, while environmental groups say the standards don't go far enough to meaningfully combat climate change.

  • November 21, 2024

    DC Circ. Judges Disagree On Standing In Drilling Permit Suit

    The judges of the D.C. Circuit stepped on each other's toes Thursday during oral arguments over a challenge to the approvals of thousands of drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming, appearing to be at odds over whether the environmental groups' stance on standing had legs.

  • November 21, 2024

    SEC Seeks More Data On Nasdaq Plan To Speed Up Delistings

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has postponed deciding on a Nasdaq proposal that would accelerate delistings of companies with low-priced stocks that take extended time to regain compliance or rely on reverse-stock splits to elevate their share prices, saying more data is needed before it takes action.

  • November 21, 2024

    Key Informant Who Recorded Madigan Takes The Stand

    A former Chicago alderman who prosecutors have deemed one of their "most significant cooperators in the last several decades" took the stand Thursday afternoon and began what is expected to be multiple days of testimony in the racketeering trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whom he secretly recorded while working with the government.

  • November 21, 2024

    Tempur Gave UK Co. 'Total Autonomy' Post-Merger, CEO Says

    The CEO of a United Kingdom-based mattress company acquired by Tempur Sealy in 2021 told a Houston federal judge Thursday that his new parent company has provided him "total autonomy" since the acquisition.

  • November 21, 2024

    Ariz. AG Offers $6M To Aid Victims Of Sober Living Scam

    Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says the state is offering $6 million in grant funding to tribal nations impacted by a sober home living scam that's estimated to have racked up an estimated $2 billion in fraudulent billing and potentially victimized thousands of Native Americans.

  • November 21, 2024

    FCC Targets Spoofing Scams With Third-Party Caller ID Regs

    In hopes of better combating spoofed robocalls, the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday required telecoms to meet certain legal obligations when hiring third parties to verify caller ID data using a widely accepted technical standard.

  • November 21, 2024

    EPA Beats Calif. Suit Over Pesticide-Coated Seed Exemption

    A California federal judge threw out public safety groups' lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided pesticide-coated crop seeds an illegal loophole from regulation, finding the agency made a fair and considered judgment when it said the seeds are exempted from registration. 

  • November 21, 2024

    DOJ Search Fixes Would Remake Google, Break Off Chrome

    To give rival search engines a fighting chance against Google's illegal monopoly and its massive data and structural advantages, the Justice Department asked a D.C. federal judge Wednesday for sweeping changes that would divest the Chrome browser, open up Android devices and guarantee access to underlying search data.

  • November 21, 2024

    Trump Selects Ex-Fla. AG Pam Bondi As New AG Pick

    President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for U.S. attorney general, just hours after former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

  • November 21, 2024

    EPA Announces National Strategy To Tackle Plastic Pollution

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday unveiled its national strategy outlining how government agencies, businesses, nonprofits and communities can prevent plastic pollution. 

  • November 21, 2024

    EPA Floats New Draft Framework On Cumulative Impacts

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday further fleshed out exactly what it means when it tells its employees to consider the "cumulative impacts" of pollution on particular communities.

  • November 21, 2024

    Immigration Group Seeks Say In 10th Circ. To Fight Okla. Law

    A Tulsa, Oklahoma-based nonprofit that advocates for immigrants has told the Tenth Circuit the state offered no good reason to lock the organization out from intervening in the federal government's lawsuit challenging an Oklahoma law barring unauthorized immigrants from residing in the state.

  • November 21, 2024

    In Tight Vote, Senate Panel OKs Bill To Set New PTAB Limits

    The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday narrowly voted to advance a bill that would impose new restrictions on Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, with several members expressing concern that it could drive up the cost of prescription drugs.

  • November 21, 2024

    Unions, ACLU Throw Weight Behind EEOC Bostock Guidance

    The AFL-CIO, SEIU, American Civil Liberties Union, and several business groups and nonprofits have urged a Texas federal court not to scrap U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance interpreting the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision, arguing the guidelines provide critical advice on preventing workplace harassment.

  • November 21, 2024

    'Where Were You?': Judge Irked By Feds In $2B Fraud Case 

    A North Carolina magistrate judge said Thursday he was "appalled" by a system that left a convicted insurance mogul unable to communicate with his attorneys while he sat in a county jail for nearly a week following his guilty plea to a $2 billion fraud and money laundering scheme.

  • November 21, 2024

    Ex-Yale Student Can Submit Acquittal Files To DHS, Judge Says

    A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday allowed an expelled Yale student to send his sexual assault accuser's name to immigration officials, approving the submission of a mostly unredacted state criminal trial transcript under a narrow exception to a magistrate judge's ban on naming the woman.

  • November 21, 2024

    Texas Sues Dallas For Marijuana Amnesty Measure

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General sued the city of Dallas for adopting a ballot measure barring police from arresting people for misdemeanor marijuana possession, telling a state court Thursday the measure runs afoul of state law and is unconstitutional.

  • November 21, 2024

    Ill. Justices Give Marathon Chance To Avoid $15M Fuel Tax

    Marathon Petroleum presented enough evidence to rebut claims by officials of an Illinois county that it owed about $15 million in fuel taxes on transactions stemming from cash settlements for delivery contracts, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday, reversing an appellate court.

  • November 21, 2024

    Howmet Accuses Wash. DOL Of Muscling Into Worker's Suit

    Howmet Aerospace slammed the Washington state labor department on Thursday for "interjecting" into a dispute with a former smelter employee who claims he developed cancer from asbestos exposure, urging the state's highest court not to relax the standard for workers to sue over job-related illnesses.

  • November 21, 2024

    Louisiana Defends New Hemp Law From Industry Challenge

    A Cannabis industry-led lawsuit seeking to block Louisiana from imposing new restrictions on consumables infused with hemp-derived THC should be squashed, the state told a federal judge, saying the legal theories the suit presents "have been tried and failed elsewhere."

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating DOJ's Patchwork Whistleblower Regime

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    In the past few months, the U.S. Department of Justice and several individual U.S. attorney’s offices have issued different pilot programs aimed at incentivizing individuals to blow the whistle on misconduct, but this piecemeal approach may create confusion and suboptimal outcomes, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

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    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • A Look At Similarities Between SOX And SEC's Cyber Rule

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    Just as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act paved the way for greater transparency and accountability in financial reporting, the SEC's cybersecurity rule is doing much the same for cybersecurity, ensuring that companies are resilient in the face of growing cyber threats, says Padraic O'Reilly at CyberSaint.

  • Opinion

    Efficiency Dept. Should Consolidate Antitrust Enforcement

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    President-elect Donald Trump's planned Department of Government Efficiency should transfer the authority of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition into the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, because there is no justification for two federal entities to enforce antitrust and competition laws, says retired judge Susan Braden.

  • What To Expect Next From Federal Health Tech Regulation

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    Healthcare organizations should pay close attention to federal health information technology regulators' recent guidance concerning barriers to accessing electronic health information, which signals that more enforcement in this area is likely forthcoming, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

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    Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect

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    Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • 5 Areas Congress May Investigate After GOP Election Wins

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    With Republicans poised to take control of Congress in addition to the executive branch next year, private companies can expect an unprecedented uptick in congressional investigations focused on five key areas, including cryptocurrency and healthcare, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent

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    A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends

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    A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Takeaways From State Votes On Abortion In The 2024 Election

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    Attorneys at Epstein Becker discuss how 10 states voted on ballot initiatives to either protect or restrict access to abortion in the 2024 general election, and analyze overarching trends.

  • Trump's 2nd Term May Be A Boost To Banking Industry

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    President-elect Donald Trump's personnel appointments could be instrumental in reshaping the financial regulatory landscape during his second administration, likely allowing for greater merger activity and halting or undoing some of the Biden administration's more restrictive financial services policies, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

  • A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports

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    Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

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