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Public Policy
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October 08, 2024
Albertsons Exec Says No-Poach Deal Never Happened
An Albertsons labor executive Tuesday attempted to rebut Colorado's accusations that the company worked together with Kroger even before its proposed merger to not compete for workers or customers during a 2022 strike, saying any agreements were internal and had nothing to do with Kroger.
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October 08, 2024
Justices Cast Favorable Eye On ATF's Ghost Gun Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to side with the federal government's position that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule regulating so-called ghost gun kits was wrongly invalidated by a lower appeals court, with several justices responding favorably to the feds' arguments.
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October 08, 2024
Enviro Groups Seek To Overturn Nuclear Plant Renewal Rules
Anti-nuclear power groups are challenging new nuclear power plant license renewal rules from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, telling the D.C. Circuit on Monday that the changes violate federal environmental protection law.
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October 08, 2024
Congress Urged To Prevent Stalking Via Smart Car
An auto technology trade group asked congressional leaders Tuesday to push through legislation that would allow car connectivity services to cut access to domestic abusers.
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October 08, 2024
DOJ Sues LA Fitness Over Nationwide Accessibility Issues
The U.S. Department of Justice sued gym chain LA Fitness on Tuesday, alleging that it mistreated patrons with disabilities at its nearly 700 locations across the country, including by failing to fix broken pool lift equipment and charging caretakers additional fees.
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October 08, 2024
Coolant Cos. Challenging HFC Rules Meet Skeptical DC Circ.
A D.C. Circuit panel Tuesday seemed dubious of coolant industry challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's omission of 2020 market data in calculating the agency's framework for phasing down climate-harming hydrofluorocarbons.
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October 08, 2024
Fulton County Sues Over Ga. Board's 'Hand-Picked' Monitors
Yet another front has opened in the fight over Georgia election law in the run-up to November, as the election board of the state's largest county sued its statewide counterparts over the attempt to impose a set of "hand-picked" monitors tasked with surveilling the county's performance.
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October 08, 2024
House Oversight Chair Targets Khan's 'Political Activities'
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., put Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan on blast Tuesday for participating in official events held by Democratic lawmakers running for reelection or higher office, castigating the leader of the FTC's Democratic majority for "partisan political activities."
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October 08, 2024
New Testimony Can't Revive Seattle Police Pursuit Crash Suit
A Washington state appeals court won't upend a verdict clearing the city of Seattle from liability in a suit by a woman injured in a car accident after the man driving her vehicle fled the police, finding that testimony taken after one of the officers involved died by suicide would not have altered the case's outcome.
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October 08, 2024
Mich. Judge Won't Halt EV Battery-Plant Build During Appeal
A Michigan federal judge said Monday she will not lift an order forcing a town's leaders to abide by a development agreement with battery manufacturer Gotion Inc. while the town seeks a Sixth Circuit review of the decision.
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October 08, 2024
Hawaii Justices Hand AIG Win In Novel Climate Coverage Suit
AIG isn't obligated to cover a lawsuit accusing a Honolulu-based Sunoco subsidiary of contributing to climate change, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled, saying a pollution exclusion in the oil giant's policy encompasses greenhouse gas emissions.
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October 08, 2024
Broadband Study No Longer Justifies New Rules, Group Says
The end of Chevron deference to agencies means the Federal Communications Commission can no longer use an annual report on the state of broadband deployment to claim new regulatory powers, a free-market group has argued.
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October 08, 2024
IRS Appeals Office's Easement Deals May Sap Independence
The IRS Independent Office of Appeals plans to settle certain conservation easement cases with similar terms offered by other IRS divisions, but these upcoming offers might be challenging for taxpayers to navigate and could undermine the office's independence from the rest of the agency.
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October 08, 2024
Neb. Officials Cast Doubt On Medical Pot Legalization Effort
Nebraska state officials are alleging that signatures gathered by activists trying to put medical marijuana legalization on the ballot may be invalid because of purported irregularities and have asked a state judge to determine whether to void the legalization effort.
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October 08, 2024
Avian Orgs Say FWS Unlawfully Tossed Bid To Import Parrots
Two exotic bird nonprofits told the Eleventh Circuit Tuesday that they should have the chance to make their case for importing two parrot species to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which the nonprofits say unlawfully refused to even consider the petitions.
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October 08, 2024
1st Circ. Warned Not To 'Speculate' In Union Debt Ceiling Suit
A lawyer for a governmental workers' union challenging the constitutionality of the federal debt limit told a First Circuit panel on Tuesday that a January default is a virtual certainty under existing law, and urged the judges to avoid trying to predict whether President Joe Biden and a lame-duck Congress might extend the ceiling.
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October 08, 2024
Texas Tribune Can Attend Bail Hearings, 5th Circ. Told
A Fifth Circuit panel pushed back on a Texas county's argument that the Texas Tribune and other news organizations do not have the right to enter magistration proceedings, asking why the process of setting bail would count as an informal procedure during oral arguments Tuesday.
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October 08, 2024
Freelancers' Challenge To DOL's Contractor Rule Can't Stand
Four freelance writers and editors failed to show how they are being hurt by the U.S. Department of Labor's final rule determining whether workers are independent contractors under federal law, a Georgia federal judge ruled, tossing their suit challenging the rule.
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October 08, 2024
Colo. Supreme Court Punts On Transgender Cake Case
The Colorado Supreme Court said Tuesday it couldn't consider the merits of a discrimination case alleging a bakery refused to make a cake to celebrate a customer's gender transition, finding a trial court didn't have jurisdiction to hear the case in the first place.
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October 08, 2024
DC Judge Won't Rethink Striking Down USDA Wetland Rule
A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday refused to reconsider her decision to vacate a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule designed to stop the development of wetlands on farmland and struck down those regulations.
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October 08, 2024
Industry, Utilities Take Aim At EPA's Drinking Water PFAS Rule
Water utility associations and chemical industry players asked the D.C. Circuit to strike down the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule setting the first-ever limits for forever chemicals in the nation's drinking water.
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October 08, 2024
Fla. Riot Law Targets Only Violent Protesters, 11th Circ. Says
The Eleventh Circuit reversed a lower court's preliminary injunction putting a halt to a recent Florida riot law put in place in the wake of the George Floyd protests, saying the law only targets violent agitators after the state's high court clarified that it doesn't apply to peaceful demonstrations.
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October 08, 2024
Hemp Cos. Say 'Protectionist' NJ Law Violates Farm Bill
A group of hemp makers and distributors is urging a New Jersey federal court to grant them a win in their challenge to the state's soon-to-be-enacted restrictions on hemp products, saying the restrictions violate the 2018 Farm Bill and favor Garden State companies over out-of-state ones.
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October 08, 2024
Mass. Seeks Order Forcing Steward To Maintain Coverage
Massachusetts officials are asking the Texas bankruptcy judge presiding over Steward Health Care's Chapter 11 proceedings to order the company to maintain medical malpractice and workers' compensation coverage for current and potential claims from its operation of hospitals and medical practices in the Bay State.
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October 08, 2024
3rd Circ. Won't Rehear Pa., NJ Businesses' Virus Loss Suits
The Third Circuit declined to rehear consolidated pandemic-related loss coverage disputes brought by New Jersey and Pennsylvania businesses, according to an order issued Tuesday, upholding its decision that the businesses' insurers didn't owe coverage for the claimed losses.
Expert Analysis
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation
With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.
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Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement
Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers
As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
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What BIPA Reform Law Means For Biometrics Litigation
A recently signed Illinois law amending the Biometric Information Privacy Act limits defendants' liability exposure on a per-scan basis and clarifies that electronic signatures constitute a valid written release, establishing additional issues that courts will need to address in future BIPA litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan
Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.
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Philly Project Case Renews Ongoing Fraud Theory Tug-Of-War
In its upcoming term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Kousisis v. U.S., a case involving wire fraud convictions related to Philadelphia bridge repair projects, and may once again further rein in prosecutorial attempts to expand theories of fraud beyond core traditional property rights, say Jonathan Halpern and Kyra Rosenzweig at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Proposed Law Would Harm NYC Hospitality Industry
A recently proposed New York City Law that would update hotel licensing and staff coverage requirements could give the city commissioner and unions undue control over the city's hospitality industry, and harm smaller hotels that cannot afford full-time employees, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Regulators Are Revamping Use Of Bank Service Company Act
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Though the Bank Service Company Act was written six decades ago, banks and service providers should be alert to the evolving ways financial regulators are using the law as a tool for scrutinizing bank-fintech partnerships and third-party service providers that could put consumers at risk, say James Bergin and Paul Lim at Arnold & Porter.
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Series
After Chevron: What To Expect In Consumer Protection At FTC
Although the Federal Trade Commission's bread-and-butter consumer protection law enforcement actions are unlikely to be affected, the Loper Bright decision may curb the FTC's bolder interpretations of the statutes it enforces, says Mary Engle at BBB National Programs.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.
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Whistleblowers Must Note 5 Key Differences Of DOJ Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently unveiled whistleblower awards program diverges in key ways from similar programs at other agencies, and individuals must weigh these differences and look first to programs with stronger, proven protections before blowing the whistle, say Stephen Kohn and Geoff Schweller at Kohn Kohn.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.