Public Policy

  • November 04, 2024

    How The Election Results Could Shape Data Privacy Policy

    The outcome of Tuesday's national elections will have a significant effect on the direction of efforts to regulate companies' collection and sale of consumer data, with the winners expected to dictate how aggressive an approach federal policymakers and regulators such as the Federal Trade Commission will take.

  • November 04, 2024

    Adams Loses Bid To Sanction Feds Over Alleged Leaks

    A Manhattan federal judge Monday rejected New York City Mayor Eric Adams' bid to sanction the prosecutors handling his bribery and corruption case for allegedly leaking secret grand jury information to journalists, saying he hasn't shown the news articles contain protected information or that prosecutors were behind any leaks.

  • November 04, 2024

    DOD Trans Healthcare Denial Discriminates, Judge Rules

    A Maine federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Department of Defense's denial of healthcare coverage for two transgender women's gender-confirmation surgeries violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause, finding that the way the department applied a statutory exclusion discriminated based on sex and transgender status.

  • November 04, 2024

    SEC Must Prep For Legal Challenges To Regs, Watchdog Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should prepare for more litigation over its rulemaking agenda and make sure its new regulations can pass judicial muster, particularly in light of budget constraints, the agency's inspector general warned in a Monday report.

  • November 04, 2024

    NC Commission Signs Off On Duke Energy Resource Plan

    The North Carolina Utilities Commission has signed off on Duke Energy's latest resource plan, with one nonprofit lamenting that the order gives the utility giant "essentially everything it wanted."

  • November 04, 2024

    Post-Chevron, DC Circ. Wrestles With At-Sea Monitoring Rule

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Monday revisited a challenge to federal regulations requiring fishermen to fund the cost of compliance monitors aboard their ships, grappling with how to interpret the federal statute underlying the regulations following the demise of the Chevron deference.

  • November 04, 2024

    Monsanto Can't Keep Expert PCB Estimates From Seattle Jury

    A Washington state judge has slapped down Monsanto's bid to stop a plaintiffs' expert from sharing chemical exposure opinions with jurors in a Seattle PCB poisoning tort, saying on Monday that the company's stance that the testimony is "junk science" relies on an outdated record in a related Court of Appeals case.

  • November 04, 2024

    Binance Says Lawsuit Can't Connect It To Terrorism Finance

    Cryptocurrency platform Binance has asked a New York federal judge to toss a suit alleging the firm helped foster terrorist activity, saying that it "unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism" and that the complaint does not connect the company to the alleged acts.

  • November 04, 2024

    FERC, NJ Conservation Orgs Battle Over Pipeline Rehearing

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is clashing with a host of conservation groups and the New Jersey Division of the Rate Counsel over whether the D.C. Circuit should reconsider a panel decision that vacated the agency's approval for a natural gas pipeline expansion on the East Coast.

  • November 04, 2024

    'Oh, Come On': 5th Circ. Doubts Intuit Ads Misled Consumers

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday seemed skeptical that the company behind TurboTax duped customers into thinking they could file their tax returns for free, with judges engaging in a lengthy back-and-forth with the Federal Trade Commission over how noticeable disclosures on the ads had to be for the agency to consider them truthful.

  • November 04, 2024

    With Lawsuit Pending, Nebraskans To Vote On Medical Pot

    A pair of initiatives to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and regulate its sale will appear on the ballot on Election Day, but a pending legal challenge whose trial concluded Monday means it is unclear whether the initiatives will take effect even if they do get voter approval.

  • November 04, 2024

    Microsoft Wants To Weigh In On Google Play Store Challenge

    Microsoft has asked the Ninth Circuit to allow it to file an amicus brief backing Epic Games in Google's challenge to an injunction requiring Google to open up its Play Store to competing app stores, arguing that the search giant's policies have prevented Microsoft from offering "mobile gaming experiences customers want."

  • November 04, 2024

    Debt Collectors Sue Over CFPB's Guidance On Medical Debt

    A debt collection trade group has sued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C., federal court to overturn recent guidance that warned collectors about seeking payment on potentially inflated or unverified medical bills, slamming it as an "overtly political" end-run around proper rulemaking.

  • November 04, 2024

    Amazon Says DC Antitrust Suit Full Of 'Mischaracterizations'

    Amazon hit back Friday against the District of Columbia's amended antitrust complaint, arguing that the business practices the city claims are diminishing competition and inflating prices for consumers are actually doing the opposite — rewarding competition — and claiming that retail competition is "vigorous" both online and in person.

  • November 04, 2024

    Judge Tosses Michigan Clerk's Election DQ Lawsuit

    A Michigan clerk's lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully barred from administering Tuesday's presidential election over his plan to hand-count ballots was quickly shot down Monday for failure to comply with procedural filing requirements. 

  • November 04, 2024

    Colo. AG Underestimates Tenants, Rental Home Group Says

    A trade group has argued that Colorado's attorney general views tenants as "unsophisticated consumers" when he told the state Supreme Court that a group of tenants should be able to sue Blackstone subsidiaries over lease terms exchanging maintenance work for a rent discount.

  • November 04, 2024

    Colo. Justices Say Expert Testimony OK Without Formalities

    The Colorado Supreme Court held Monday that the formal offer and acceptance of an expert isn't required for that expert's testimony to be admissible, finding in a published opinion that there's no actual state requirement for courts to use such a practice.

  • November 04, 2024

    DC Circ. Won't Block Coal Ash Rule During Challenge

    The D.C. Circuit has denied East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc.'s effort to block the implementation of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that strengthened the federal regulations requiring safe management of coal ash dumped at operating and retired power plants.

  • November 04, 2024

    High Court Questions If False Claims Act Covers FCC's E-Rate

    Multiple justices seemed unconvinced Monday that the federal government plays such a limited role in requiring companies to pay fees for supporting telecom subsidies in schools that it can't seek to recover excess payouts from the fund under the False Claims Act.

  • November 04, 2024

    Wash. Tribe Inks Relationship Pact With State Commerce Dept.

    The Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Washington State Department of Commerce have signed a memorandum of understanding formally establishing their government-to-government relations, the fourth such MOU in the state that affirms tribal sovereignty.

  • November 04, 2024

    Crypto Industry Hopes Election Will Bring SEC Shake-Up

    The White House is poised to take a fresh approach to the digital asset industry regardless of who wins the presidency, but experts said the crypto industry's hopes for more rules and fewer enforcement cases ultimately depend on a new head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a renewed push from Congress to pass crypto legislation.

  • November 04, 2024

    Harris' 'SNL' Sketch Didn't Break Rules, FCC Spokesman Says

    A Republican on the Federal Communications Commission is pushing NBC to follow equal airtime rules following Vice President Kamala Harris' appearance on "Saturday Night Live" just days before Election Day, but a spokesperson for the FCC chair says there is no foul play here.

  • November 04, 2024

    Conn. Justice Warns Against 'Amelia Bedelia' Tax Law Reading

    Whether a Connecticut judge properly restored a batch of tax appeals after dismissing them could center on the meaning of the word "may," a state Supreme Court justice said Monday, while also cautioning against an "Amelia Bedelia" approach to statutory construction, citing a children's book character known for her hyper-literalism.

  • November 04, 2024

    Coinme Crypto ATMs Suspended By Conn. Banking Chief

    Connecticut's banking commissioner has suspended cryptocurrency ATM company Coinme Inc.'s ability to transfer money in the Constitution State and has hinted toward possible fines, citing violations of know-your-consumer laws, complaints of scams, a negative multistate investigation and failures to meet minimum capitalization laws.

  • November 04, 2024

    DC Makes Housing Tax Break Competitive Process Permanent

    The District of Columbia made permanent its temporary authorization of a competitive process for tax abatements for housing developments under legislation signed by the mayor, though the measure is subject to congressional review before it becomes law.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    FTC's Report Criticizing Drug Middlemen Is Flawed

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    The Federal Trade Commission's July report, which claims that pharmacy benefit managers are inflating drug costs, does not offer a credible analysis of PBMs, and its methodology lacks rigor, says Jay Ezrielev at Elevecon.

  • Revisiting The Crime-Fraud Exception After Key Trump Cases

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    Evidence issues in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and classified documents cases involving former President Donald Trump offer an opportunity to restudy elements and implications of the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine, noting the courts' careful scrutiny of these matters, say Robert Hoff and Paul Tuchmann at Wiggin and Dana.

  • Enviro Policy Trends That Will Continue Beyond The Election

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    Come October in a presidential election year, the policy world feels like a winner-take-all scenario, with the outcome of the vote determining how or even whether we are regulated — but there are several key ongoing trends that will continue to drive environmental regulation regardless of the election results, say J. Michael Showalter and Samuel Rasche at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Plan Sponsors Must Prep For New Mental Health, Drug Rules

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    To comply with newly published health insurance rules requiring parity between access to mental health and substance use services compared to medical and surgical services, employers with self-insured plans will need to update third-party administrator agreements and collect data, among other compliance steps, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • The Trade And Tax Issues Behind US-Canada Digital Tax Clash

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    The new Canadian digital services tax recently went into effect despite objections from the U.S., a controversy that represents an unusual mix of trade and tax policy, and many companies have been pondering how it will affect their e-commerce businesses, says Damon Pike at BDO.

  • Aviation Watch: Boeing Plea Agreement May Not Serve Public

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    The proposed plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing — the latest outgrowth of the company's 737 Max travails — is opposed by crash victims' families, faces an uncertain fate in court, and may ultimately serve no beneficial purpose, even if approved, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Opinion

    Bill Is Key To Protecting US Economy From Patent Piracy

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    It is critical that Congress pass a recently introduced bill that would protect U.S. investors from intellectual property theft by restoring court-ordered injunctions as the default remedy in patent infringement cases to ensure inventors get the justice they deserve, says Andrei Iancu at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Managing Sanctions Defense Across Multiple Jurisdictions

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    Companies called before multiple regulators to account for the same conduct in this era of increased global sanctions and import-control enforcement should consider national differences in law and policy, and proactively coordinate their responses in certain key areas, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Building US-Japan Relationships In The M&A Market

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    The prospect of U.S.-Japanese mergers and acquisitions presents stronger competition to U.S. investors in the global M&A markets, while also opening up an additional exit route for sellers looking to offload strategic assets, says Nick Wall at A&O Shearman.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

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    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • 4 Ways To Prepare For DOD Cyber Certification Rule

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    Given the U.S. Department of Justice's increased scrutiny of contractor compliance with cybersecurity requirements, it is critical that contractors take certain steps now in response to the U.S. Department of Defense's proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification implementation rule, say Townsend Bourne and Lillia Damalouji at Sheppard Mullin.

  • FTC Focus: How Scrutiny Of PBMs And Insulin May Play Out

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    Should Express Scripts' recent judicial challenge to the Federal Trade Commission succeed, any new targets could add litigation and choice of forum to their playbooks, and potential FTC court action on insulin could be forced to parallel venues as the issues between the commission and PBMs evolve, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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