Public Policy

  • December 18, 2024

    Monsanto Protests DNA Damage Argument In PCB Closings

    An attorney in a toxic tort against Monsanto drew a sustained objection from the company's defense during closings Wednesday as he attempted to argue that some of the young girls allegedly exposed to PCBs "will give birth to children with altered DNA," as counsel sparred over whether the plaintiffs suffered "generational harm."

  • December 18, 2024

    Standing Unchanged In Gun Show Loophole Case, States Say

    A Texas-led coalition of states has told a federal judge that the ATF failed to "move the needle" in arguing that several pro-Second Amendment organizations don't have standing to challenge a Biden administration rule that would broaden the scope of who qualifies as a firearms dealer. 

  • December 18, 2024

    FDA's Gastro Drug Fast-Track Denial Survives DC Circ.

    A D.C. Circuit panel upheld federal regulators' refusal to streamline approval of a drug to treat nausea in patients with a chronic gastric condition, ruling that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was right to consider the drug's development plan when deciding whether it qualified for fast tracking.

  • December 18, 2024

    Divided SEC Approves PCAOB's $400M Budget

    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will receive the nearly $400 million it requested to fund its operations in 2025, despite the objections of Republican members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday who expressed concern about the auditing watchdog's growing budget.

  • December 18, 2024

    Funding Bill Takes In Broadband, Ticketing, Privacy

    A congressional spending package that would fund the federal government through March is set to include a slew of bipartisan proposals aimed at digital security, online pricing transparency and rural broadband access.

  • December 18, 2024

    NJ Court Orders AG To Give Up Control Of Paterson Police Dept.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin exceeded his authority last year when he took over police department operations in the city of Paterson and reassigned the police chief to a training post outside the city, a state appellate court ruled Wednesday.

  • December 18, 2024

    EDNY US Atty Peace To Resign Before Trump Inauguration

    Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, who has headed the federal prosecution office in the Eastern District of New York since 2021, announced his resignation Wednesday ahead of the incoming Donald Trump administration.

  • December 18, 2024

    DHS Pushes Through Rule To Hasten Some Removals

    A new U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation will allow asylum officers to quickly decide if migrants are barred from asylum because of national security or public safety concerns, paving the way for swift removals of those individuals.

  • December 18, 2024

    11th Circ. Doubtful Of FCC's Marketing Consent Clampdown

    Eleventh Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of the Federal Communications Commission's legal justification for a marketing rule that requires selecting businesses on an individual basis through comparison shopping sites before the businesses can reach out to consumers.

  • December 18, 2024

    Wash. City Settles Road Rage Shooting Suit For $15M

    A Puget Sound municipality has agreed to pay $14.9 million to a restaurant owner who was paralyzed in a road-rage shooting, an attorney for the entrepreneur announced Wednesday, claiming that the same gun used to injure his client was given to the shooter by police days earlier.

  • December 18, 2024

    Judge Wants To Know If Colo. Kroger Merger Fight Is Moot

    A Colorado state judge wants to know whether two recent decisions blocking the proposed $24.6 billion merger of The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. Inc. has mooted Attorney General Phillip J. Weiser's challenge to the transaction, according to a briefing plan approved Tuesday. 

  • December 18, 2024

    Democrats Blocked Again On Confirming DC Judges

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., tried and failed to fast-track the confirmation of 10 D.C. judicial nominees, making it unlikely these vacancies will be filled before the new year starts.

  • December 18, 2024

    Ex-Fla Rep. Charged Again For Foreign Agent Violations

    Former Florida Rep. David Rivera, who is battling an indictment in Miami over lobbying work for Venezuela, faces additional criminal charges in D.C. federal court, after a grand jury indicted him on charges he failed to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied on a Venezuelan businessman's behalf.

  • December 18, 2024

    Colo. Judge Tosses County Challenge To State Sanctuary Law

    A Colorado judge has dismissed six counties' challenge against two state laws limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, ruling the limits were well within the Legislature's power and that the counties lack standing to sue under the state and federal constitutions.

  • December 18, 2024

    CVS Fueled Opioid Epidemic In Rush For Profits, Feds Say

    The U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a suit Wednesday accusing CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy chain, of knowingly filling invalid prescriptions for powerful opioids and ignoring internal pleas from its pharmacists as it allegedly put profits over safety. 

  • December 18, 2024

    Conn. AG Can't Close Courtroom In Ghost Gun Hearing

    A Connecticut state judge won't close the courtroom for a damages hearing in a suit by the state against an online shop selling so-called ghost gun kits, saying the public's interest in the facts of the case outweighs the state's concerns about an undercover investigator's safety.

  • December 18, 2024

    SBA Wants To Speed Up Late Subcontract Payments

    The U.S. Small Business Administration on Wednesday proposed a rule intended to speed up payments to federal small business subcontractors, requiring prime contractors to more promptly report late payments to agencies and cooperate to resolve the issue.

  • December 18, 2024

    FTC Wants Express Scripts' Defamation Suit Tossed

    The Federal Trade Commission told a Missouri federal court that Express Scripts Inc. has no basis to challenge an interim agency report that only offered "qualified conclusions" from an ongoing study about how pharmacy benefit managers affect prescription drug prices.

  • December 18, 2024

    States, Green Groups Drop Suits Over USPS Vehicle Plan

    A coalition of states and cities and several environmental groups moved to dismiss their lawsuits challenging the U.S. Postal Service's multibillion-dollar plan to acquire its next-generation delivery vehicles.

  • December 18, 2024

    NC Lt. Gov. Wants Defamation Suit Kicked Back To State Court

    North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has urged a federal judge to return his defamation suit against CNN to state court, arguing that his claims against the network are tied to those against a former porn store clerk such that the lower trial court is better suited to hear the case.

  • December 18, 2024

    EPA Greenlights California's Race To 100% ZEVs By 2035

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday authorized California's plan to require that all new light cars and trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, a move that was instantly slammed by the fossil fuel industry.

  • December 18, 2024

    Congress Passes $3B Funding For FCC's 'Rip And Replace'

    The U.S. Senate cleared legislation Wednesday to fully fund the Federal Communications Commission's "rip and replace" telecom security program to the tune of $3.08 billion as part of a sweeping defense spending authorization.

  • December 18, 2024

    Cherokee Chief Urges Senate To Block Federal Recognition Bill

    The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' principal chief is urging the U.S. Senate to reject legislation that would give federal recognition to a fellow North Carolina tribe, arguing that allowing the bill's passage would undermine the process to ensure that the decision is based on evidence and not politics.

  • December 18, 2024

    Texas Says Border Wall Panel Sales May Violate Injunction

    Missouri and Texas asked a federal judge to probe whether the Biden administration is violating an order to use $1.4 billion of congressional funds to build the southern border wall, pointing to media reports that wall materials are being sold off.

  • December 18, 2024

    RJ Reynolds Asks Justices To Toss Forum Shopping Argument

    R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's argument that the vape company engaged in forum shopping when it challenged denial of one of its applications in the Fifth Circuit, saying its Texas- and Mississippi-based co-petitioners make the Fifth Circuit the proper venue.

Expert Analysis

  • Predictions For Trump Antitrust Enforcement Of Life Sciences

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    Key life sciences antitrust issues of the past two administrations may indicate the direction of enforcement during President-elect Donald Trump's second term, including in areas such as drug prices, killer acquisitions and merger remedies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • What To Know About Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Revisions

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    While some may be apprehensive about the looming changes coming to Florida’s Rules of Civil Procedure on Jan. 1, these essential modifications that affect tenets of civil litigation long taken for granted will increase efficiency and streamline the litigation process, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • From Football To Pickleball, Sports Investing Evolved In 2024

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    The NFL's decision to allow private-equity investments in football franchises capped off a transformative year in U.S. sports that also included landmark PE transactions in emerging sports ranging from women's soccer to pickleball, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Implications Of NY Climate Case For Generating Facilities

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    Regardless of how Greenidge Generation LLC v. New York Department of Environmental Conservation develops on remand, this decision has immediate repercussions for generating facilities seeking permit applications and renewals in New York, likely involving Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act considerations, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • How CFPB Rule Would Affect Data Brokers And Beyond

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently proposed a rule that would not only expand data broker oversight by classifying many as consumer reporting agencies, but would also impose new limitations on companies seeking to obtain information from them, potentially requiring such entities to alter their business models, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

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    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • 5th Circ. Crypto Ruling Shows Limits On OFAC Authority

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent decision that immutable smart contracts on the Tornado Cash crypto-transaction software protocol are not "property" subject to Office of Foreign Assets Control jurisdiction may signal that courts can construe OFAC's authority more restrictively after Loper Bright, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Expand Investment Options For 403(b)s

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    Lawmakers should pass pending legislation to give 403(b) plan participants access to collective investment trusts, leveling the playing field for public sector retirement investors by giving them an investment option their private sector counterparts have had for decades, says Jason Levy at Great Gray Trust Company.

  • What 2024 Election Means For Drugs, Medicare And Medicaid

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    With Republicans running the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, the incoming administration is likely to provide pathways — through new initiatives and others returning from Trump's previous presidency — for a range of potential changes to drug pricing, Medicare and Medicaid, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AV Compliance Is Still A State-By-State Slog — For Now

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    While the incoming Trump administration has hinted at new federal regulations governing autonomous vehicles, for now, AV manufacturers must take a state-by-state approach to compliance with safety requirements — paying particular attention to states that require express authorization for AV operation, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Opinion

    Antitrust Posturing Against Algorithmic AI Should End

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    President-elect Donald Trump needs to rein in the federal government's antitrust crusade against algorithmic AI, sending the message that antitrust enforcement must be grounded in evidence and real harm, says attorney David Balto, a former Federal Trade Commission assistant director of policy and evaluation.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Immigration Atty Tips For Avoiding Prosecution Under Trump

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    Under the incoming Trump administration, immigration attorneys may need to protect themselves from prosecution when advising clients who may not qualify for relief sought by choosing their words carefully and keeping other key factors in mind, says Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi.

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