Public Policy

  • October 03, 2024

    White House Directs Agencies On Responsible AI Acquisition

    The White House has issued guidance to agencies on responsible purchases of artificial intelligence, addressing issues such as mitigating associated privacy and performance risks, ensuring the market for AI remains competitive, and enabling related collaboration across the government.

  • October 03, 2024

    Ex-US House Energy Committee Atty Joins Foley In DC

    Foley & Lardner LLP has announced that a former senior counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as counsel in its public policy and government relations practice group.

  • October 03, 2024

    Judicial Picks From 3 States Remain Hearing-Less

    With a dwindling number of days left on the Senate's 2024 calendar, Democrats are pushing to confirm more judges so President Joe Biden can meet or exceed former President Donald Trump's record.

  • October 03, 2024

    Newest High Court Reform Bill Would Cap Gifts At $50

    A group of Democratic senators has introduced new legislation that would place price caps and other restrictions on gifts received by U.S. Supreme Court justices in an effort to bring the court's ethical rules closer in line with those followed by federal employees and members of Congress.

  • October 03, 2024

    EEOC Says Colo. Pot Shop Fired Budtender Over Disability

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing a Colorado marijuana dispensary, alleging that it fired a budtender for memory issues stemming from a mini stroke when she was nine years old, while privately calling her a "fruitcake."

  • October 03, 2024

    California Tribe Says Report Shows Flaws In Water Project

    The Hoopa Valley Tribe urged a California federal judge to recognize as fact a recent report issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General, which the tribe argued backs its challenge of the Bureau of Reclamation's management of California's Trinity River.

  • October 03, 2024

    Ohio Justices Reject Neighbor's Objection To Gas Pipeline

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed a state siting board's accelerated approval for a NiSource unit's 3.7-mile natural gas pipeline in the city of Maumee, rejecting a commercial property owner's claims that the project's risks were not adequately considered.

  • October 03, 2024

    US, France Extend Patent Prosecution Highway

    French and American authorities announced plans Thursday to extend their deal to fast-track patent examinations for IP already approved in the other jurisdiction for another five years.

  • October 03, 2024

    Energy Dept. Awards $1.5B For 4 Power Line Projects

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday handed out $1.5 billion in Congressional funding for a quartet of long-distance transmission projects, as well as a study that calls for a massive expansion of the U.S. electric grid over the next 25 years.

  • October 02, 2024

    Calif. AI Election Law Blocked As 'Blunt Tool' Stifling Speech

    A California federal judge Wednesday blocked a recently enacted state law cracking down on election-related deepfakes, acknowledging the risks posed by artificial intelligence, but agreeing with a conservative content creator that the law is an overly broad "blunt tool that hinders humorous expression and unconstitutionally stifles" the free exchange of ideas.

  • October 02, 2024

    Colony Ridge Seeks Quick Appeal In 'Reverse Redlining' Suit

    A Texas real estate developer that recently lost a bid to exit a lending discrimination suit brought by the U.S. government and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has moved to begin a Fifth Circuit appeal, arguing the "novelty" of the case's reverse redlining theory warrants immediate appellate review.

  • October 02, 2024

    Former C-Quest Capital CEO Indicted For Carbon Credit Fraud

    Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday announced criminal charges against Kenneth Newcombe, the former chief executive officer of carbon project developer C-Quest Capital, accusing him of scheming to submit altered data relating to cookstove projects abroad to obtain millions of dollars worth of carbon credits.

  • October 02, 2024

    Kroger Partner Denies At Trial It Will Flip Acquired Stores

    The grocery wholesaler set to take on hundreds of stores if Kroger's $25 billion merger with Albertsons goes through defended its ability to meet the challenge Wednesday, with its CEO and a potential executive testifying in parallel proceedings in Colorado and Washington state.

  • October 02, 2024

    Watchdog Appeals After Court Grants X Access To Donor Lists

    The nonprofit group Media Matters for America appealed to the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday after a Texas federal judge ordered it to turn over its donor lists to social media platform X Corp., saying that it still had a First Amendment privilege to keep the names of its donors private.

  • October 02, 2024

    Coinbase Seeks CFTC Docs To Defend SEC Enforcement Case

    Coinbase has asked a Washington, D.C., federal court to direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to produce communications the regulator may have had with certain digital asset issuers as the cryptocurrency exchange prepares to defend registration claims from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in New York.

  • October 02, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Force New Factory Farm Water Regs On EPA

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday tossed green groups' lawsuit seeking to revive their petition for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create new, stronger Clean Water Act regulations for large animal feeding facilities.

  • October 02, 2024

    DOJ Says Info Sharing Alone Can Violate Law In Pork Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice told the court overseeing a case accusing major pork producers of colluding to raise prices the exchange of competitively sensitive information, even in aggregated form, can violate the antitrust laws.

  • October 02, 2024

    Gov't Tells Justices That E-Rate Program Is Covered By FCA

    The federal government is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that E-Rate reimbursement fraud is covered by the False Claims Act because the government provides the program's funding.

  • October 02, 2024

    Wi-Fi Has All The Spectrum It Needs, Mobile Group Says

    Wi-Fi performance gains won't come from more unlicensed spectrum use, a new report commissioned by telecommunications trade group CTIA said Wednesday.

  • October 02, 2024

    CFPB's $5M Student Loan Deal Gets OK Over PIMCO Objections

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has finalized a proposed $5 million settlement of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau case that alleged pandemic-era servicing failures involving securitized student loans, overruling objections that money manager PIMCO raised on behalf of loan investors.

  • October 02, 2024

    Penn State Must Pay Trustee's Atty Fees During Internal Probe

    Penn State University must pay one of its trustees' legal fees stemming from an internal investigation, a Pennsylvania county judge has ruled, rejecting the school's argument that it was not obligated to advance him the expenses before the probe concluded.

  • October 02, 2024

    Colo. Judge Sees No Injuries In Health Data Breach Class Suit

    A Colorado federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action alleging a software company waited nearly three months to tell data breach victims about hackers accessing personal and medical information for more than 250,000 people, concluding the plaintiffs' allegations weren't enough to give them standing.

  • October 02, 2024

    Fla. Court Says Superintendent Must Face Perjury Charge

    A Florida appeals court Wednesday reinstated an indictment accusing a school superintendent of lying to a statewide grand jury convened in response to the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

  • October 02, 2024

    Tribal Members Ask Montana Court For Satellite Voting Offices

    Six members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes are asking a Montana state court for an order that would require two counties to set up satellite voting offices on their reservation lands, arguing that without those offices, it will be nearly impossible for Native Americans to cast ballots.

  • October 02, 2024

    Enviro Groups Seek To Defend EPA's Veto Of Pebble Mine

    A slew of environmental groups have called on an Alaska federal judge to let them defend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to block a plan to build the controversial Pebble Mine, saying they want to protect the Bristol Bay headwaters from the mine's "devastating and unavoidable adverse impacts."

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Courts Will Still Defer To Feds On Nat'l Security

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    Agencies with trade responsibilities may be less affected by Chevron’s demise because of the special deference courts have shown when hearing international trade cases involving national security, foreign policy or the president’s constitutional authority to direct such matters, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives

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    As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • Defamation Law Changes May Be Brewing At Supreme Court

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's significant rightward shift has produced dramatic changes in many areas of the law, and the long-standing "actual malice" standard protecting speech about public figures could be the next precedent to fall, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Integrating ESG Into Risk Management Programs

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    Amid increasing regulations and reporting requirements for corporate sustainability in the European Union and the U.S., companies might consider how to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors into more formalized risk management, say directors at Alvarez & Marsal.

  • Exploring Practical Employer Alternatives To Noncompetes

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    With the Federal Trade Commission likely to appeal a federal court’s recent rejection of its noncompete ban, and more states limiting the enforceability of these agreements, employers should consider back-to-basics methods for protecting their business interests and safeguarding sensitive information, says Brendan Horgan at FordHarrison.

  • How Increased Sanctions Scrutiny Is Affecting Debt Markets

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    U.S. sanctions and export control regulators have recently taken several steps that broaden financial sector oversight, and banks, lenders and borrowers must adapt their syndication and risk assessment processes in different ways or risk incurring substantial penalties, say Cristina Brayton-Lewis and Kerrick Seay at White & Case.

  • What The SEC Liquidity Risk Management Amendments Entail

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    Fund managers should be cognizant of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission's recent changes to certain reporting requirements and guidance related to open-end fund liquidity risk management programs, and update their filing systems if need be, says Rachael Schwartz at Sullivan & Worcester.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Vertex Suit Highlights Issues For Pharma Fertility Support

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    Vertex Pharmaceuticals' recent lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute is influenced by a number of reproductive rights and health equity issues that the Office of Inspector General should address more concretely, including in vitro fertilization and fertility preservation programs, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • Expect More Restaurant Ch. 11s As COVID Debt Comes Due

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    The wave of restaurant bankruptcies is likely to continue in the coming months as companies face the looming repayment of COVID-19 pandemic-era government loans, an uncertain economy and increased interest rates, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.

  • Calif. Bill, NTIA Report Illustrate Open-Model AI Safety Debate

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    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s balanced recommendations for preventing misuse of open artificial intelligence models, contrasted with a more aggressive California bill, demonstrate an evolving regulatory debate about balancing democratic access to this powerful new technology against potential risks to the public, say Stuart Meyer and Fredrick Tsang at Fenwick.

  • Commerce Proposal Could Ease Trade Remedy Administration

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    Recently proposed international trade enforcement regulations could help the U.S. Department of Commerce more easily administer antidumping and countervailing duty remedies, in turn maximizing relief to American companies adversely affected by unfair trade, says Natan Tubman at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

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