Public Policy

  • September 24, 2024

    NLRB Office Signs Off On Near $450K Deal With Musk Brother

    A Colorado nonprofit co-founded by Elon Musk's brother settled a union's unfair labor practice claims for close to $450,000, according to a National Labor Relations Board announcement Tuesday, with the organization agreeing to pay thousands to laid-off workers and make supervisors undergo federal labor law training.

  • September 24, 2024

    Dish Owner Tells FCC Device Unlocking Good For Competition

    Dish and its parent company EchoStar are leaning on the Federal Communications Commission to finalize requirements that mobile providers unlock a customer's device within 60 days of them signing up, so they can change carriers if they want.

  • September 24, 2024

    Justices' Immunity Ruling Could Foil Trump Charges, Sens. Told

    The U.S. Supreme Court's prohibition on judges considering a former president's motive when deciding if an act is official and therefore protected from criminal prosecution may present one of the biggest roadblocks in the criminal cases filed against Donald Trump, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney told lawmakers Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    Mich. Justices Wonder If Pot Smell's Strength Justifies Search

    Michigan's Supreme Court asked Tuesday whether a whiff of marijuana can justify searching a vehicle now that the drug is legal in the state, with one justice claiming his nose can distinguish between stale smells and more recent use, which could indicate impaired driving or illicit public consumption.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ala. Can Enforce Own Interstate Clean Air Plan, 11th Circ. Told

    Alabama told an Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority when denying the state's plan to implement rules limiting harmful interstate emissions under the Clean Air Act, saying the law gives states the "primary" authority to combat air pollution.

  • September 24, 2024

    Haitian Group Seeks Criminal Charges Against Trump And Vance

    A Haitian advocacy organization filed an affidavit Tuesday seeking criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, for their false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, that have "wreaked havoc" on the city.

  • September 24, 2024

    11th Circ. Unleashes Swarm Of 'Hypos' In Fla. Pronoun Case

    An Eleventh Circuit panel on Tuesday peppered attorneys with hypothetical scenarios as they attempted to hammer out the bounds of public school teachers' free speech protections in the classroom, in a case by transgender and nonbinary Florida educators that could ultimately affect other state employees.

  • September 24, 2024

    Md. Says Shipowner Liable For $2B Baltimore Bridge Rebuild

    Maryland said the owner and manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge must be held liable for the estimated $1.7 billion cost of rebuilding the bridge, claiming Tuesday that their negligence has caused "grievous impact" to Marylanders, the environment and the regional economy.

  • September 24, 2024

    FAA Chief Updates House Panel On Boeing Safety Culture Fix

    The Federal Aviation Administration's chief told a House panel Tuesday that the agency has "dramatically" increased its oversight of Boeing, as lawmakers raised concerns about the pace of Boeing's safety culture overhaul amid an ongoing labor dispute with 33,000 workers.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ga. Election Board To Investigate Voter Eligibility Challenges

    Georgia's increasingly tendentious State Election Board voted this week to open investigations into a handful of counties over their handling of voter registration challenges, at the urging of conservative activists who told the board that local election officials have ignored their calls for ineligible voters to be stricken from the rolls.

  • September 24, 2024

    'The Predators Are Back,' Mich. Tax Foreclosure Attys Warn

    Lawyers for a proposed class accusing Michigan counties of unlawfully keeping proceeds of their tax-foreclosed home sales urged a federal judge Monday to bar a third-party claims firm and a "conspiring" Michigan attorney from trying to snatch away class members using tactics they called abusive and illegal.

  • September 24, 2024

    Colo. Justices Float Limits For Litigants' Public Records Asks

    Colorado Supreme Court justices were skeptical Tuesday that litigants were blocked from using the state's public records law to request documents from agencies and boards they are suing, though they also expressed reservations about just how far such litigants could go.

  • September 24, 2024

    Dish Slams 'Entitled' Standard General Exec's Race Bias Suit

    Dish Network has called for sanctions against Soo Kim, his hedge fund Standard General and their attorneys, calling Kim's racial discrimination suit against Dish, the Federal Communications Commission and a collection of other media players "an expensive temper tantrum."

  • September 24, 2024

    EPA Finalizes HFC Leak And Recycling Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule aimed at reducing hydrofluorocarbon leaks from large refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, while establishing a new program to better manage and recycle the potent greenhouse gasses.

  • September 24, 2024

    Judge Won't Yet Set New Trial For AT&T Exec After Hung Jury

    An Illinois federal judge declined Tuesday to set a new bribery trial date for an AT&T executive accused of illegally influencing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, saying he first wanted to take a "serious look" at the defense's forthcoming motion for acquittal after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict last week.

  • September 24, 2024

    Man In Mueller Report Asks DC Circ. To Revive Privacy Claim

    A Georgian American businessman named in special counsel Robert Mueller's report on 2016 Russian election interference has petitioned the D.C. Circuit for an en banc review of a panel's decision not to revive his Privacy Act damages claim related to supposed inaccuracies, arguing the panel erred in finding he had abandoned damages arguments.

  • September 24, 2024

    More Enrollment Wanted For Judges' Home Security, IG Says

    Amid the "complex" threat landscape for judges, the U.S. Marshals Service should do more to prompt federal judges to enroll in its home security program, a federal watchdog says in a report released Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    Star Witness Against Bankman-Fried Gets 2 Years In FTX Case

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced former cryptocurrency executive Caroline Ellison to two years in prison Tuesday, crediting her decision to testify against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried but saying the $11.2 billion fraud was too big to warrant a "get out of jail free card."

  • September 24, 2024

    Baker Donelson Adds Financial Services Expert In DC

    Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has hired a new shareholder who started her 15-year legal career as an attorney adviser in the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Banking and Finance Division, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    Treasury To Allow 3 AMT Transition Methods, Official Says

    Final rules on the new corporate alternative minimum tax are expected to adopt the proposed regulations' three ways for companies to transition to the regime, and the U.S. Treasury Department is open to other ways as well, a department official said Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    Favre Parkinson's Reveal Overshadows Welfare Fraud Hearing

    Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed he has Parkinson's disease during a congressional hearing on misuse of welfare funds, where he was overwhelmingly lauded and escaped tough questions about his alleged involvement in a sprawling Mississippi welfare scandal.

  • September 24, 2024

    CDC Defends Dog Import Ban As Needed Rabies-Fighting Tool

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged a Michigan federal court to deny hunting groups' efforts to lift an import ban on young dogs, saying the ban was crafted to prevent imports of rabies-infected dogs.

  • September 24, 2024

    8th Circ. Won't Revive Pot Shop's Discrimination Suit

    The Eighth Circuit won't reinstate discrimination and interference claims by a would-be cannabis distributor against a firm contracted to evaluate applicants for Arkansas' dispensary licenses, saying the complaint lacks specificity to support its claims.

  • September 24, 2024

    Insurer Wants Quick Appeal At 8th Circ. In DOL Tax Fight

    A health insurer will seek the Eighth Circuit's review after a federal judge refused to toss a suit from the U.S. Department of Labor claiming the company unlawfully took at least $66.8 million in Minnesota state tax liability from plans it administered to pay in-network providers.

  • September 24, 2024

    Pa. Panel Says County Must Tell Voters If Votes Are Tossed

    A Pennsylvania county violated voters' rights with a policy that prevented them from finding out if their mail-in ballots had been set aside as uncountable, a split state appellate panel ruled Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

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    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances

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    Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What Patent Litigators Should Know About CHIPS Act Grants

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    With the U.S. Department of Commerce now actively awarding grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, recipients should ensure they understand the implications of promises to construct new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, especially in jurisdictions with active patent litigation dockets, say Gabriel Culver and Peter Hillegas at Norton Rose.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Opinion

    Data Breach Reporting Requirements Must Change In AI Age

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    Outdated data breach reporting laws are inadequate to protect consumers in the age of artificial intelligence, as AI’s ability to determine relationships coupled with its improvements to deepfake technology mean that the very definitions used in breach reporting laws are no longer sufficient, says Collin Walke at Hall Estill.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • What Chevron's End Means For How Congress Does Business

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctrine, will have a far-reaching impact across the entire public policy life cycle, beginning with how Congress writes its laws and extending through agency implantation and judicial review, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • How 5 States' Deal Notification Laws Are Guiding Healthcare

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    Healthcare transaction notification laws at various stages of implementation in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are shaping sector mergers and acquisitions, with significant transparency, continuity of care and compliance implications as providers tackle complex regulatory requirements, says Melesa Freerks at DLA Piper.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Examining Chancery's Relaxed New Confidential Filing Rules

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery’s overhauled Rule 5.1, which governs confidential filings, risks permitting nonconfidential information to be shielded from public review unless and until a challenge notice is filed — but several potential solutions could help to override this issue, says Delaware attorney Daniel J. McBride.

  • Recent Settlement Shows 'China Initiative' Has Life After Death

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    Though the U.S. Department of Justice shuttered its controversial China Initiative two years ago, its recent False Claims Act settlement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation demonstrates that prosecutors are more than willing to civilly pursue research institutions whose employees were previously targeted, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

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    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

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