Public Policy

  • August 01, 2024

    DLA Piper Hires Longtime Williams & Jensen Partner In DC

    DLA Piper has hired a former Williams & Jensen PLLC attorney who spent 24 years there working on healthcare public policy issues and representing biopharmaceutical companies and various insurance providers, the firm has announced. 

  • August 01, 2024

    Schumer And Senate Dem Bill Would Reverse Trump Immunity

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and more than 30 of his Democratic colleagues introduced a bill on Thursday to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that former President Donald Trump has immunity for official acts.

  • July 31, 2024

    Barr Chided Again, This Time For 'Chaotic' Protest Response

    The U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog has again criticized former Attorney General William Barr for his actions during the Trump administration, this time focusing on his "chaotic and disorganized" response to protests and civil unrest in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, according to a report issued Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Lawsuit Aims To Save Bail Overhaul In Memphis, Tenn.

    A Memphis, Tennessee, criminal justice advocacy group, Just City, reached a deal with local officials in 2022 to soften cash bail rules at local jails, but this year, the conservative state Legislature passed a law to force a return to the old cash bail system, and now Just City is suing to save the deal.

  • July 31, 2024

    Live Nation Says In-House Attys Can't Access DOJ Docs

    As it warned would be the case, Live Nation is telling a New York federal judge that it has no in-house counsel that will be able to meet his rules on counsel access to highly confidential material in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the live events company.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ghanaian Oil Co. Hit With Sanctions In Discovery Fight

    A Texas federal judge has slapped sanctions against an African energy company after finding that it lied in Ghanaian court about a discovery dispute related to a case in Ghana, saying attorney fees and costs are appropriate in relation to several proceedings.

  • July 31, 2024

    Nonprofits' Challenge To Texas' Migrant Transit Law Revived

    A Texas federal judge revived a claim from several nonprofits that sought to challenge a Texas executive order allowing state officers to pull over drivers suspected of transporting unauthorized migrants, finding that the court has jurisdiction over the nonprofits' supremacy clause claim.

  • July 31, 2024

    Texas Rancher Leads Suit Over Biden Admin Border Programs

    A Texas rancher and two Texas counties hit the Biden administration with a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing it of issuing various immigration policies that run afoul of Congress' goal to have "zero illegal entries" at the Lone Star State's border.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ayahuasca Church Can't Get $2.1M For Atty Fees

    Attorneys for a Phoenix-based church won't get their fees increased or have any part of their pay covered by the government, an Arizona federal judge has ruled, saying the church is not the winning party in its suit against several federal agencies because the court "never placed its stamp of approval" on a deal that allows the church to use ayahuasca.

  • July 31, 2024

    Discover Could Pay $200M In Card 'Misclassification' Fines

    Discover Financial Services told investors on Wednesday that it could face $200 million in potential regulatory penalties over its past "misclassification" of certain credit card accounts, an issue that's also led to class action litigation and other scrutiny for the card giant.

  • July 31, 2024

    AI Prior Art Is Either Nothing New Or A Red Flag, USPTO Told

    Technology companies, drugmakers and various industry organizations have represented to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that they're torn on how artificial intelligence should be used when determining whether something is patentable over prior art.

  • July 31, 2024

    Top California Real Estate News In 2024 So Far

    Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of California so far this year, from homeless policy shifts and rent algorithm disputes to a $5 billion mixed-use project and a shareholder activist campaign.

  • July 31, 2024

    Bill To Revive FCC's Broadband Subsidy Clears Senate Panel

    A Democratic bill to restart the Federal Communications Commission's defunct broadband subsidy passed a Senate committee Wednesday after a debate over how to pay for FCC-related spending priorities, as well as agency authority to start new spectrum auctions.

  • July 31, 2024

    Calif. Bar Says Atty Can't End Billing Scandal's Hacking Claim

    A San Fernando Valley attorney cannot escape an ethics charge alleging he plotted to hack the email and phone of a judge overseeing a public utility class action, the California Bar has told the State Bar Court, urging the court to reject the attorney's argument that merely "discussing plans" for a hack is not an offense.

  • July 31, 2024

    Federal Judge Overturns NJ Ban On AR-15 Assault Rifles

    A New Jersey federal judge has overturned the Garden State's 30-year-old ban on AR-15 assault rifles, finding that even though it is "hard to accept the U.S. Supreme Court's pronouncements that certain firearm policy choices are 'off the table,'" the court is bound to follow the high court's decisions.

  • July 31, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives Suit Over Ga. City's Ouster Of White Manager

    A white ex-city manager of a small Georgia city who was fired after a new administration allegedly vowed to replace him with a Black person will get another shot at pressing his racial discrimination claims as the Eleventh Circuit gave the case new life Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    EPA Looks To Dismiss States' Water Rule Challenge

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking a Louisiana federal court to toss a group of conservative-leaning states' and energy industry groups' lawsuit attempting to sink its rule broadening states' and tribes' power to veto infrastructure projects over water quality concerns.

  • July 31, 2024

    HSBC Says HUD Has Closed Fair Lending Probe

    HSBC's U.S. banking arm said it is no longer facing a multicity fair lending investigation from federal housing authorities after an outside complaint that prompted the probe was withdrawn.

  • July 31, 2024

    9/11 MDL Judge Probes Saudi Arabia's Latest Exit Bid

    A Manhattan federal judge peppered Saudi Arabia's lawyers with questions Wednesday as they argued that years of discovery have yielded no real evidence of a Saudi government spy helping organize the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

  • July 31, 2024

    After Sackett, A Colorado Town Grapples With Its Wetlands

    Residents of a small town in Colorado have been left to spar over the fate of its wetlands in the wake of Sackett v. EPA, highlighting how the court's curtailment of Clean Water Act protections has placed local, state and tribal governments in a regulatory vacuum.

  • July 31, 2024

    Pipeline Cos. Can Join FERC Approval Fight

    Companies behind a liquefied natural gas facility in Sonora, Mexico, and the Saguaro Connector Pipeline that will help serve it can weigh in on a challenge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals for the pipeline, the D.C. Circuit said Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Senators Aim To Increase Injunctions In Patent Battles

    A new bipartisan bill in Congress would make it easier for federal courts to issue injunctions in patent cases, but critics say this would primarily help companies "that do not make any products or provide any services."

  • July 31, 2024

    Include Satellites In Broadband Updates, SpaceX Tells FCC

    SpaceX urged the Federal Communications Commission to include provisions for gateway earth station satellite hubs like its own in proposed regulations to expand broadband access within certain spectrum bands, telling the regulator that doing so would be a "win-win-win" for stakeholders.

  • July 31, 2024

    Telecom Trespassing On Reservation Land, Oregon Tribes Say

    Lumen Technologies Inc. is trespassing on territory that belongs to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and has been for years, according to a lawsuit accusing the telecom of continuing to operate on an expired lease instead of striking a new deal for miles of laid fiber.

  • July 31, 2024

    Meadows Appeal May Help Clarify Immunity Ruling, Attys Say

    Legal scholars told Law360 on Wednesday that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' recent request to have the U.S. Supreme Court weigh in on whether his Georgia election interference case should be moved to federal court provides the justices with an opportunity to clarify key aspects of their recent presidential immunity ruling.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: FCC And Industry Must Prepare For Change

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    The Chevron doctrine was especially significant in the communications sector because of the indeterminacy of federal communications statutes, so the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the doctrine could have big implications for those regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, bringing both opportunities and risks for companies, say Thomas Johnson and Michael Showalter at Wiley.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uniform Tax Law Interpretation Not Guaranteed

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    The loss of Chevron deference will significantly alter the relationship between the IRS, courts and Congress when it comes to tax law, potentially precipitating more transparent rulemaking, but also provoking greater uncertainty due to variability in judicial interpretation, say Michelle Levin and Carneil Wilson at Dentons.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Environmental Law May Face Hurdles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Chevron deference could prove to be as influential as the original 1984 decision, with far-reaching implications for U.S. environmental laws, including rendering recently promulgated regulations more vulnerable to challenges, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Why High Court Social Media Ruling Will Be Hotly Debated

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    In deciding the NetChoice cases that challenged Florida and Texas content moderation laws, what the U.S. Supreme Court justices said about social media platforms — and the First Amendment — will have implications and raise questions for nearly all online operators, say Jacob Canter and Joanna Rosen Forster at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Good News For Gov't Contractors In Litigation

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    The net result of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Chevron deference is that individuals, contractors and companies bringing procurement-related cases against the government will have new pathways toward success, say Joseph Berger and Andrés Vera at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls

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    Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation

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    As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    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.

  • Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry

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    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.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    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.

  • Series

    After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    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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