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Public Policy
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August 21, 2024
Oath Keepers Atty Pleads Guilty In Jan. 6 Case
A former attorney for the far-right Oath Keepers group pled guilty Wednesday to charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, copping to entering restricted Capitol grounds and advising Oath Keepers affiliates to delete incriminating digital evidence following the riot.
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August 21, 2024
Paxton Issues Warrants To Texas Counties In Election Inquiry
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that his office had executed multiple search warrants in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties as part of an ongoing investigation into election integrity.
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August 21, 2024
Oregon Judge Grants EPA Partial Win In Water Pollution Suit
An Oregon federal judge rejected a conservation group's contention that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must step in and act because Oregon has effectively submitted no total maximum daily load plans to set appropriate pollution limits for hundreds of impaired waterways, some of which have been considered impaired for decades.
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August 21, 2024
Ohio Justice Pulls Appeals Judge Into Party Label Challenge
Ohio Court of Appeals Chief Judge Thomas J. Osowik is now ensnared in state Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner's challenge to a state law requiring candidates for Ohio's appellate courts to list their political party affiliation on the ballot, appearing as a defendant in a retooled version of her complaint.
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August 21, 2024
City Health Administrator Says Firing Flouted Constitution
A former city of Bridgeport healthcare administrator says she learned via a one-page, hand-delivered letter at the close of business on April 1 that she was immediately losing her job, a move she says violated the 14th Amendment because she received neither a warning nor an opportunity for a hearing.
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August 21, 2024
Satanists Ask 1st Circ. To Rethink Boston's Prayer Scheme
A satanic temple wants the full First Circuit to rehear its suit seeking to participate in a blessing at Boston City Council meetings, arguing in a petition that the city's discriminatory prayer selection practice is straight out of a George Orwell novel.
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August 21, 2024
Alaska Seeks Pause In Mining Row Suit With EPA
The state of Alaska is calling on a district court judge to pause litigation accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of unlawfully prohibiting development of the Pebble mineral deposit in the southwestern region of the state, while the agency attempts to withhold documents from the public.
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August 21, 2024
Asylum Limits Litigation Remains In Settlement Talks
A pair of cases in the Ninth Circuit and D.C. federal court in which asylum-seekers are challenging a Biden administration rule limiting asylum at the southern border are still in the settlement-discussion stage.
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August 21, 2024
RI Pot Regulators Eye Dismissal Of Fla. Resident's Challenge
Rhode Island's marijuana regulator has asked a federal judge to toss a challenge brought by a Florida resident alleging the state's scheme for awarding retail cannabis licenses is unconstitutional, saying that process hasn't even been established yet.
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August 21, 2024
Nonprofit Can Step Into Ex-CFO's $40M Embezzlement Case
A Michigan federal judge said Tuesday that the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy can intervene in the federal government's embezzlement case against its former chief financial officer, who is alleged to have stolen $40 million from the nonprofit tasked with revamping Detroit's riverfront.
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August 21, 2024
Ex-Venezuelan Oil Employee Pleads Guilty To Sanctions Plot
The former procurement head at Petróleos de Venezuela SA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, pled guilty to conspiring to obtain millions of dollars' worth of U.S. aircraft parts for the business, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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August 20, 2024
Feds Say Chevron Doesn't Change Auto Standards Litigation
The federal government told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion axing federal agency deference doesn't aid Republican-led states' and industry's attempt to undermine tighter greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles.
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August 20, 2024
FDIC Challenged Over 'Kafkaesque' Enforcement Proceeding
A former small business financier battling Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. enforcement claims has asked a D.C. federal court to issue an emergency order staying the agency's "Kafkaesque" administrative proceeding against him, arguing that it deprives him of his constitutional right to a jury trial.
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August 20, 2024
DOJ, SD County Resolve Indigenous Voting Barrier Claims
The U.S. Department of Justice has secured an agreement with a South Dakota county and its officials to end the federal government's allegations that the municipality failed to make registration and early voting opportunities equally available to Native American voters.
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August 20, 2024
FCC Urged To Boost Middle-Mile Support For Alaska Telecoms
Alaskan telecoms are telling the Federal Communications Commission that their state needs special rules for middle-mile support, saying that Alaska's short construction season, roadless areas and other unique challenges mean that more support will be needed to achieve widespread connectivity.
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August 20, 2024
Ariz. Tribe Wins Pause Of Lithium Project Construction
An Arizona federal judge has granted the Hualapai Indian Tribe's bid for a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit seeking to halt U.S. government approval of a lithium exploration project that it says threatens the life of a sacred medical spring used for cultural and religious purposes.
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August 20, 2024
Don't Nix 'Band Manager' Approach In 4.9 GHz, FCC Told
Public interest groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve its original plan to use a national band manager to oversee a 4.9 gigahertz spectrum revamp rather than turning it over to FirstNet through a nationwide license.
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August 20, 2024
Colo. Justices To Hear Claims-Clock Debate In Xcel Death Suit
The Colorado Supreme Court said Monday it would hear an appeal by Xcel Energy and a city over whether the deadline for an accident victim's father to sue started when his daughter was hit by a car or when she died weeks later.
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August 20, 2024
USDOT Floats Vehicle-To-Everything Deployment Plan
The U.S. Department of Transportation is setting out an aspirational timeline for vehicle-to-everything infrastructure deployment, saying it wants to see the technology deployed on 50% of the nation's highways by 2031.
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August 20, 2024
New Fed Rule Will Help Tribes Sponsor Watershed Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service said it has decided to amend its regulations for watershed projects, so Native American tribes and tribal groups can better carry out improvements for flood prevention and conservation.
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August 20, 2024
Ala. AG Can't Prosecute Aiding Abortion Travel, DOJ Says
The Alabama attorney general's threats of criminal prosecution against individuals and corporations who assist others in traveling to obtain lawful abortions out of state violates the constitutional right to travel, the U.S. Department of Justice told an Alabama federal judge in a court filing Monday.
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August 20, 2024
NC Panel Nixes Black Property Owners' Revived Bias Fight
A North Carolina state appeals court handed the city of Kinston a win Tuesday for a second time in a discrimination lawsuit that the state Supreme Court recently revived, finding that Black property owners' claims that the city unfairly demolished their properties aren't viable because they never completed an "adequate" administrative appeals process.
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August 20, 2024
SF Police Can't Sue Navy Over Toxic Shipyard, 9th Circ. Says
A group of San Francisco police officers cannot pursue their suit alleging the U.S. Navy misled the city into leasing a former naval shipyard that was not properly decontaminated following its use during the Cold War, which led to the officers suffering health problems, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
DHS Watchdog Says ICE Needs To Better Monitor Migrant Kids
The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said the agency needs to better monitor the status and location of unaccompanied migrant children after their release from federal custody to better protect them.
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August 20, 2024
Amgen's Drug Price Suit An Issue For Legislature, Judge Told
A Colorado nonprofit that advocates for the poor told a federal judge Tuesday that Amgen's lawsuit over the state's drug price cap system is little more than a disagreement with lawmakers' policy choices disguised as a constitutional issue.
Expert Analysis
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Series
After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections
While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.
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Series
After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue
As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.
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Series
After Chevron: Impact On Indian Law May Be Muted
Agency interpretations of Indian law statutes that previously stood the test of judicial review are likely to withstand new challenges even after the end of Chevron deference, but litigation in the area is all but certain, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Opinion
Trump Immunity Ruling Upends Our Constitutional Scheme
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Trump v. U.S. decision elevates the president to imperial status and paves the way for nearly absolute presidential immunity from potential criminal prosecutions — with no constitutional textual support, says Paul Berman at the George Washington University Law School.
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High Court Paves Middle Ground For Proceedings Obstruction
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Fischer sensibly leaves the door open for prosecutors to make more nuanced assessments as to whether defendants' actions directly or tangentially impair the availability or integrity of anything used in an official proceeding, without criminalizing acts such as peaceful demonstrations, say attorneys at Perry Law.
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How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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Series
Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
The second quarter of 2024 brought two notable bills that will affect Florida's banking and finance community across many issues, including virtual currency abandonment, cancellation of financial services on the basis of political opinions, and the exemption amount of motor vehicles, say Joshua Prever and Andrew Balthazor at Holland & Knight.
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Series
After Chevron: FTC's 'Unfair Competition' Actions In Jeopardy
While the U.S. Supreme Court's decision ending Chevron deference will have limited effect on the Federal Trade Commission's merger guidelines, administrative enforcement actions and commission decisions on appeal, it could restrict the agency's expansive take on its rulemaking authority and threaten the noncompete ban, say attorneys at Baker Botts.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Series
After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine should lead to better cooperation between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Congress, and may give the FHFA a chance to embrace transparency and innovation and promote sustainable housing practices, says Mehdi Sinaki at Michelman & Robinson.
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Constitutional Protections For Cannabis Companies Are Hazy
Cannabis businesses are subject to federal enforcement and tax, but often without the benefit of constitutional protections — and the entanglement of state and federal law and conflicting judicial opinions are creating confusion in the space, says Amber Lengacher at Purple Circle.
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Supreme Court's ALJ Ruling Carries Implications Beyond SEC
In its recent Jarkesy opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the types of cases that can be tried before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's in-house administrative law judges, setting the stage for challenges to the constitutionality of ALJs across other agencies, say Robert Robertson and Kimberley Church at Dechert.
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Opinion
A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week in Trump v. U.S., holding that former President Donald Trump has broad immunity from prosecution, undercuts the rule of law, while the former president’s New York hush money conviction vindicates it in eight key ways, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.