Public Policy

  • August 22, 2024

    Telephone Cos. Want In On Tribal Broadband Grant Row

    The two Alaskan telecoms that received the U.S. Department of Agriculture grants now at the center of a suit from local tribes say they want in on the litigation, telling an Alaska federal judge that they should get a chance to defend their grants alongside the USDA as intervenors.

  • August 22, 2024

    Missouri Gov. Clashes With Secretary Of State Over Hemp Ban

    Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday blasted the state's secretary of state for declining to implement an emergency rulemaking that would have banned psychoactive consumable cannabis products manufactured outside the state's regulated adult-use marijuana market.

  • August 22, 2024

    Fisher Phillips Brings Smith Gambrell Atty To DC Gov't Team

    Fisher Phillips' new D.C.-based agriculture employment partner has practiced several types of law throughout his career, and told Law360 Pulse Thursday that his employment law career started unexpectedly after a managing partner at one of his first firms called out sick before an interview.

  • August 22, 2024

    Builder Wins $524M Contract For Cybersecurity Agency HQ

    The U.S. General Services Administration announced that it has awarded a construction company with a $524 million contract to build the new Washington, D.C., headquarters for a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agency.

  • August 22, 2024

    Mich. Says Justices' Minimum Wage Ruling Lacks Detail

    The state of Michigan is seeking clarification from its high court on how to calculate the new minimum wage, saying there were several possible interpretations of the court's recent directive to account for inflation in the wage floor. 

  • August 22, 2024

    Bank, Fintech Groups Say FDIC Should Ice 'Hot Money' Plan

    A broad coalition of bank and fintech trade groups has called for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to back off from a recently proposed revamp of its rules on "hot money," or brokered deposits, arguing the plan was put forward "without sufficient or transparent data or robust policy rationale."

  • August 22, 2024

    Pa. Air Force Vet Can't Challenge Court's Medical Pot Rules

    A Pennsylvania appeals court won't let an Air Force veteran challenge the medical cannabis rules for treatment court programs in Berks County, saying he lacks standing because his use of medical cannabis was not the reason he was denied entry into the programs.

  • August 22, 2024

    Crypto Lobbyist Hit With FTX Campaign Finance Charges

    Manhattan federal prosecutors announced Thursday that Michelle Bond, a crypto industry lobbyist and the girlfriend of convicted former FTX executive Ryan Salame, has been charged with getting the now-defunct digital asset exchange to illegally finance her unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign.

  • August 21, 2024

    FTX's Salame Says Feds Broke Deal Not To Probe Girlfriend

    Former FTX executive Ryan Salame urged a New York federal judge Wednesday to either vacate his May conviction or stop federal prosecutors from investigating his domestic partner Michelle Bond for related political campaign-finance offenses, saying prosecutors induced his guilty plea by promising not to probe Bond.

  • August 21, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Rethink IP Safe Harbor Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to review its decision affirming the dismissal of Edwards Lifesciences' infringement suit against Meril Life Sciences after Edwards urged the full court to narrow its interpretation of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safe harbor that essentially allows patent infringement during drug development.

  • August 21, 2024

    Tech Cos. Duck Proposed Calif. Bill Via News Funding Deal

    Major tech companies, including Google, agreed Wednesday to pay roughly $250 million into a fund that proponents say would support newsrooms across California in a deal that avoids a proposed regulation that would've forced Big Tech to pay the state's media organizations for distributing news content.

  • August 21, 2024

    FDIC Taps MoFo Atty To Monitor Workplace Transformation

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced Wednesday that it has appointed a former prosecutor and veteran Morrison & Foerster LLP partner to serve as an independent monitor during the agency's efforts to revamp its workplace culture.

  • August 21, 2024

    Top New York Real Estate News This Summer

    Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of New York so far this summer, from office sales and foreclosures to casino projects and housing policies.

  • August 21, 2024

    Fla. Co. To Pay $5M To End CFPB's Illegal Foreclosure Claims

    Florida-based mortgage servicer Fay Servicing agreed Wednesday to pay a total of $5 million and its founder and CEO Edward Fay faces potential pay restrictions to resolve the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's claims the company violated a prior 2017 agreement and multiple federal laws that protect borrowers against illegal foreclosure practices.

  • August 21, 2024

    Conn. Justices Back Insurer's Out-Of-Network Patient Bills

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Wednesday limited an emergency physician group's attempt to require a medical insurer to shoulder patient costs under the state's surprise medical billing law, holding that insurers can charge patients for shared costs, such as deductibles and copayments, at lower levels without violating consumer protection laws.

  • August 21, 2024

    FTC Fails 1st Test Of Rulemaking Push In Noncompetes Loss

    The Federal Trade Commission suffered its first definitive loss Tuesday in the push to ban employment noncompete agreements, although the decision probably isn't the final word given a likely appeal and two other pending challenges also viewed as a test of the agency's efforts to expand its rulemaking footprint.

  • August 21, 2024

    Legal, Policy Orgs Urge Justices To Toss FCA Interpretation

    Two groups are defending AT&T subsidiary Wisconsin Bell Inc. in its challenge to the use of the False Claims Act for E-Rate program reimbursement fraud, telling the Supreme Court in amicus briefs Tuesday that the Seventh Circuit's ruling in the case would make the FCA's qui tam powers too expansive.

  • August 21, 2024

    8th Circ. Reboots Fed Swipe Fee Suit After High Court Ruling

    An Eighth Circuit panel on Wednesday remanded a suit challenging Federal Reserve debit card swipe fee rules, ordering new proceedings in the case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was not untimely after all.

  • August 21, 2024

    USPTO Argues Not All New Rules Call For Public Comments

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told the U.S. Supreme Court that forcing the agency to solicit public comments before instituting a new home address requirement for registering trademarks would be too much work.

  • August 21, 2024

    Judge Skeptical Ex-Murder Suspect Can Sue Embattled DA

    A Colorado federal judge appeared to have doubts Wednesday about the prospects of a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a man initially charged with the murder of his wife, asking how the lawsuit can defeat immunity for police and prosecutors.

  • August 21, 2024

    10th Circ. Says Ex-Prosecutor Still Hasn't Proven Immunity

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Wednesday said a former Denver deputy district attorney had not yet proven that she was entitled to qualified immunity in a malicious-prosecution case dating back more than a decade, the second time the appeals court has reversed a procedural win for the prosecutor.

  • August 21, 2024

    Signal Peak Can't Hasten DOI's Coal Mine Review, Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge ruled Wednesday that it would be premature to order federal regulators to speed up their environmental review of Signal Peak Energy LLC's planned expansion of a Montana coal mine, saying the federal government still has time to make good on its deadlines.

  • August 21, 2024

    Prometheum Plans To Support Two More Crypto 'Securities'

    A cryptocurrency startup approved to safeguard crypto securities said Wednesday that it plans to support the tokens UNI and ARB when it launches in the fall, indicating it believes the digital assets implicate securities laws.

  • August 21, 2024

    Ga. City Asks Full 11th Circ. To Review Race Bias Suit Revival

    A southern Georgia city is urging the full Eleventh Circuit to reconsider a panel decision that revived a white city manager's lawsuit claiming it unlawfully fired him to hire a Black woman, arguing the panel improperly extended the alleged discriminatory intent of one Black city commissioner onto other Black commissioners.

  • August 21, 2024

    Dartmouth's Refusal To Bargain Is Illegal, Hoops Union Says

    The union representing men's basketball players at Dartmouth College accused the university of illegally refusing to negotiate, according to an unfair labor practice charge obtained by Law360 on Wednesday, as the school aims to challenge in federal court whether collegiate athletes are employees under federal labor law.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: FTC's 'Unfair Competition' Actions In Jeopardy

    Author Photo

    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.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Opportunities For Change In FHFA Practices

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Constitutional Protections For Cannabis Companies Are Hazy

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Supreme Court's ALJ Ruling Carries Implications Beyond SEC

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Opinion

    A Tale Of 2 Trump Cases: The Rule Of Law Is A Live Issue

    Author Photo

    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.

  • USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • 2nd Circ. ERISA Ruling May Help Fight Unfair Arb. Clauses

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit recently held that a plaintiff seeking planwide relief under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act cannot be compelled to individual arbitration, a decision that opens the door to new applications of the effective vindication doctrine to defeat onerous and one-sided arbitration clauses, say Raphael Janove and Liana Vitale at Janove.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

    Author Photo

    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • What NYC's Green Fast Track Means For Affordable Housing

    Author Photo

    New York City's Green Fast Track for Housing initiative, which went into effect last month, aims to speed up the environmental review process for modest residential developments and could potentially pave the way for similar initiatives in other cities, say Vivien Krieger and Rachel Scall at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC

    Author Photo

    The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

    Author Photo

    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Public Policy archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!