Public Policy

  • October 30, 2024

    CTIA Asks To Expand Hot Spot Program Directly To Devices

    School districts and libraries should be able to use their E-rate funds to provide commercially available mobile broadband service to students instead of just hotspots, a wireless industry trade group has told the Federal Communication Commission.

  • October 30, 2024

    Mich. Justices To Mull Reviving Diminished Capacity Defense

    Michigan's highest court announced Wednesday that it will hold arguments in a case that could reinstate the diminished mental capacity defense in the Great Lakes State.

  • October 30, 2024

    Maryland Says Electricity Greenwashing Law Is Constitutional

    Renewable energy company Green Mountain Energy Co. and a national advocacy organization cannot block a Maryland law aimed at cracking down on electricity suppliers' "greenwashing" claims, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown argued in federal court.

  • October 30, 2024

    Holtec Wins $6.9M Over Gov't's Failure To Store Nuclear Fuel

    Nuclear plant operator Holtec Palisades LLC has been granted $6.9 million in damages after a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge found the federal government had breached an agreement to store spent nuclear fuel at the company's Michigan facility.

  • October 30, 2024

    Access To 'Dreamer' Info Limited In Suit Over HHS Rule

    A North Dakota magistrate judge has imposed limits on who can see the names and addresses of 130 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients after the court ordered the Biden administration to hand that data over to the state attorney general.

  • October 30, 2024

    North Carolina Attorney General Race: 4 Things To Know

    A defamation lawsuit is just the latest clash in the contentious race to become North Carolina's attorney general, a contest that's already drawn the spotlight on one candidate's TikTok use and his opponent's denial of the results of the 2020 election.

  • October 30, 2024

    NY Construction Exec Avoids Jail For Commercial Bribery

    A construction executive dodged jail time Wednesday after pleading guilty in New York state court to his role in a sprawling bribery scheme involving $100 million in contracts linked to New York high-rise buildings.

  • October 30, 2024

    FTX Witness Who Saw Bankman-Fried's 'Evil' Avoids Prison

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed FTX's former chief engineer to avoid prison Wednesday, crediting his trial testimony against the crypto exchange's founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his ongoing cooperation and his relatively small role in the $11.2 billion fraud.

  • October 30, 2024

    Green Groups Urge EPA To Address 'Big Ag' Nitrate Pollution

    More than 20 environmental and community groups have called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use its emergency powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act to address industrial agriculture's nitrate contamination of drinking water in communities across the country.

  • October 30, 2024

    Gibson Dunn Lands Trump Impeachment Prosecutor, 4 Others

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced Wednesday that it had hired away former President Donald Trump's impeachment prosecutor from Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP to co-chair its global litigation practice group in New York, as well as four other former federal prosecutors from that firm.

  • October 30, 2024

    Connecticut Water Users Amend Utility PFAS Class Action

    A proposed class of Connecticut consumers filed an amended complaint for a suit alleging a water utility knowingly sold water containing unhealthy levels of "forever chemicals" without installing treatment equipment that could have prevented the contamination from reaching people.

  • October 30, 2024

    Trump Campaign Wins Suit Over Pa. County Over Ballots

    A Pennsylvania county judge has granted the Donald Trump campaign's bid to extend mail-in ballot requests in Bucks County, which the campaign accused of turning away voters waiting in long lines for the ballot sign-ups. 

  • October 30, 2024

    NY Telecoms Urge Justices To Keep Pause On Price Cap

    Telecommunications trade groups urged U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to keep New York's broadband price cap for low-income residents on hold even if the justices ultimately decide to review it, saying in a new brief Wednesday enforcement of the price caps would do irreparable harm to their members.

  • October 30, 2024

    Pa. Panel Says Undated Special Election Votes Should Count

    A split Pennsylvania appellate court ruled Wednesday that throwing out mail-in votes solely for missing or "incorrect" dates on their outer envelopes was a violation of the state's constitution, but insisted the ruling applies only to a September special election in Philadelphia.

  • October 30, 2024

    High Court Says Va. Can Keep Purging 'Noncitizen' Voters

    A divided U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a federal court order Wednesday that prohibited Virginia from removing suspected noncitizens from its voting rolls this close to Election Day, a program the U.S. Department of Justice and advocacy groups claim has erroneously stripped eligible voters of their constitutional rights.

  • October 30, 2024

    Ballot Battles, Musk's Sweepstakes: Election Suits Rage In Pa.

    The political battleground state of Pennsylvania is a hotbed of litigation in the runup to another contentious presidential election, with controversies over where and how citizens cast ballots and a new legal challenge to billionaire Elon Musk's hefty financial incentive for Keystone State voters.

  • October 29, 2024

    Wash. Chief Justice Calls Diversity 'Critical' For Courts

    Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven González reflected Tuesday night on what diversity in cultural perspectives can bring to classrooms and courtrooms alike, remarking that the dynamic on the high court has changed for the better during his 13 years on the bench as he's been joined by more colleagues of color.

  • October 29, 2024

    Monsanto PCBs 'Pervasive' At School, Scientist Tells Jury

    Monsanto-made PCBs were "pervasive" at a Washington school, an industrial hygienist testified Tuesday in the latest trial over illnesses there before being grilled by defense counsel about the integrity of his material samples.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Texas Prosecutor Gets 3 Years For Extortion

    A Texas federal judge sentenced a former elected Starr County, Texas, prosecutor to more than three years behind bars after he pled guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for dropping charges in criminal cases, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    DOJ Will Restrict Data Swapping With 'Countries Of Concern'

    The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed new rules that will make it the regulator of any type of transaction that would put certain kinds of sensitive privacy data in the hands of any "covered persons" or "country of concern."

  • October 29, 2024

    Justices Won't Let RFK Jr. Off Mich., Wis. Ballots

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s emergency requests to have his name removed from the presidential ballots in the key battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

  • October 29, 2024

    Sporting Goods Chain Beats Suit By Man Shot With Stolen Gun

    A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of a suit seeking to hold Academy Sports liable after a man was shot by a gun stolen from the store, saying a federal law shielding firearms dealers from third-party criminal acts did indeed apply.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-US Attorney Already Prepping To Be The Next Denver DA

    A former Colorado U.S. attorney and longtime civil litigator said running for the open Denver district attorney seat was a natural next step, as he prepares to lead an office with fewer resources than either of his past positions.

  • October 29, 2024

    Judge Extends Block On Florida's Threats Over Abortion Ad

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday extended a temporary order blocking the state from threatening television stations with criminal prosecution if they did not pull a campaign ad promoting an abortion rights ballot initiative.

  • October 29, 2024

    Texas AG Says State Rep Tried To Sway 'Shaken Baby' Case

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called for state Rep. Jeff Leach to resign after he allegedly attempted to sway judgment in capital punishment proceedings in what would have been the nation's first execution for a conviction based on a "shaken baby syndrome" diagnosis.

Expert Analysis

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • Opinion

    CFPB's AI Stance Backslides On Innovation Issues

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent response to a Treasury Department's request for information about artificial intelligence in the financial services sector uses alarmist rhetoric about the technology's risks, ceding an opportunity to help shape this important discussion, says Mike Silver at Husch Blackwell.

  • Strategies To Defend Against Healthcare Nuclear Verdicts

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    The healthcare industry is increasingly the target of megaclaims, particularly those alleging medical malpractice, but attorneys representing providers can use a few tools to push back on flimsy litigation and reduce the likelihood of a nuclear verdict, says LaMar Jost at Wheeler Trigg.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority

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    Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.

  • Series

    After Chevron: SEC Climate And ESG Rules Likely Doomed

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    Under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright, without agency deference, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure and environmental, social and governance rules would likely be found lacking in statutory support and vacated by the courts, says Justin Chretien at Carlton Fields.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Assessing Whether Jarkesy May Limit FINRA Prosecutions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Jarkesy v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, holding that civil securities fraud defendants are entitled to jury trials, may cause unpredictable results when applied to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority prosecutions, say Barry Temkin and Kate DiGeronimo at Mound Cotton.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

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    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Examining Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Of AI Inventions

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    In light of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data showing that patent applications for artificial intelligence inventions are likelier to get rejected based on patent-ineligible subject matter, inventors seeking protection should be aware of the difficulties and challenges pertaining to patent eligibility, say Georgios Effraimidis at NERA and Joel Lehrer at Goodwin.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • What Cos. Need to Know About Battery Labeling Law

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    With new labeling requirements for button cell battery packaging taking effect in September, manufacturers and importers must review compliance, testing procedures, and necessary paperwork as the consequences of noncompliance can lead to costly penalties and supply chain woes, says Aasheesh Shravah at CM Law.

  • What Drug Cos. Must Know About NY Price Transparency Law

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    Drug manufacturers must understand the contours of New York's recently implemented law requiring self-reporting of drug price increases, as well as best practices for compliance and challenges against similar laws in other states, say Elizabeth Bierut and Angie Garcia at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Navigating The Uncertain Landscape Of Solar Tariffs

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    Solar cell and module manufacturers, exporters and importers must navigate an uncertain compliance landscape, given ongoing challenges to U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty determinations, which have been mounted both by U.S. and non-U.S. manufacturers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Amid SEC Rule Limbo, US Cos. Subject To ESG Regs In EU

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    Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is facing legal challenges to its climate-disclosure rulemaking, the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union will force U.S. companies to comply with exactly the kinds of ESG disclosures that are not yet mandated in the U.S., say attorneys at Squire Patton.

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