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Public Policy
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July 22, 2024
FCC Waives 5.9 GHz Rules To Allow For Smart Car Tech
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to waive certain restrictive connectivity rules for cars, allowing automobile equipment manufacturers to make use of the 5.9 gigahertz band for Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology.
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July 22, 2024
Former Judge On Trump Assassination Attempt Panel
A former federal judge who previously sat on an oversight panel for the Secret Service was among those the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday would conduct an independent review of the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
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July 22, 2024
Biofuel Groups Back EPA Fuel Regs In DC Circ. Fight
Several biofuel trade groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to reject arguments the oil and fuel industry and environmentalists are making in challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's renewable fuel blending requirements.
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July 22, 2024
1st Circ. Doubts Calif. Law Governs DraftKings Job Fight
A former DraftKings executive seeking to undo his noncompete contract appeared to make little headway with the First Circuit on Monday as he argued that Massachusetts law should take a backseat in the dispute to California's more worker-friendly statute.
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July 22, 2024
After Kindred Case, Questions Linger About Clerk Safeguards
When Alaska federal Judge Joshua Kindred resigned, it was the culmination of an 18-month inquiry into a hostile and inappropriate work environment he'd fostered in chambers. During that investigation, it seems he continued to supervise law clerks. Experts say that may signal a gap in protections for clerks.
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July 22, 2024
NYC Says Migrant Busing Has Stopped Amid Border Curbs
New York City retreated from its pending motion in state court to block eight charter bus companies from contracting with Texas to transport migrants to the city, saying the busing has already stopped after the Biden administration implemented new border policies.
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July 22, 2024
Conn. AG Accuses Solar Cos. Of Illegal Sales Tactics
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong took three solar companies and two individuals to court for allegedly deceiving consumers into signing long-term contracts without informed consent and impersonating some people who refused so they could enter fraudulent solar contracts on those consumers' behalf.
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July 19, 2024
Santos Can't Duck Charges Ahead Of Trial, Judge Says
A New York federal judge on Friday refused to throw out identity theft and theft of public money charges against former U.S. Rep. George Santos, rejecting his arguments that the charges were too vague to survive.
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July 19, 2024
Kavanaugh Murder-Attempt Suspect Set To Face Trial
A man charged with attempting to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has failed to reach a plea deal after nearly two years of negotiations, setting his case up for trial in Maryland federal court, federal prosecutors said Friday.
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July 19, 2024
Mich. Judge Axes Challenge To Student Loan Payment Freeze
A Michigan federal judge on Thursday tossed a challenge to the Biden administration's suspension of student loan payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the think tank that brought the suit lacked standing.
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July 19, 2024
House Republican Rips FCC's School Wi-Fi Subsidy
A key House Republican with oversight of the Federal Communications Commission attacked the agency's new subsidy providing Wi-Fi services for school and library patrons, saying it will make consumer costs soar without helping education.
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July 19, 2024
House IP Committee Heads Unveil Drug Pricing Bill
Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., respectively the chair and top Democrat of the House intellectual property subcommittee, on Friday introduced a new bill that would change patent law to increase competition in the prescription drug market in order to lower patient costs.
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July 19, 2024
9th Circ. Calls Out Wash. AG's Paradox In Christian Charity Suit
Ninth Circuit judges said Friday that Washington state "wants it both ways" in a Christian nonprofit's case over an antidiscrimination law, with the attorney general arguing that there's no credible enforcement threat to substantiate the suit's filing while also stopping short of pledging that the state won't pursue a case against the organization.
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July 19, 2024
More Airwaves Needed For Power Grid Upgrades, FCC Told
Power companies are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to help free up more spectrum for utilities, telling the agency that opening up spectrum currently committed to public safety use could be a win-win.
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July 19, 2024
Prison Biz Urges 9th Circ. To Keep Inspection Law Blocked
Private prison operator GEO Group Inc. has urged the Ninth Circuit to keep a Washington law allowing for the surprise inspection of its immigration detention center blocked, arguing the law was specifically enacted to shut down its facility.
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July 19, 2024
How Did The Global Tech Outage Impact Transportation?
The overnight global tech outage that prompted a cascade of flight delays and cancellations and disruptions to certain transit, shipping and port operations, left transportation providers and other critical infrastructure reeling and wondering how to avoid further crippling computer failures.
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July 19, 2024
Pa. Justices Let Enviro Groups Join Cap-And-Trade Fray
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was of at least four different minds Thursday when it ruled that several environmental groups could finally intervene in litigation that has blocked the state from joining a regional carbon cap-and-trade program.
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July 19, 2024
Pa. Court Asked To Weigh Rahimi Against Pot Patient Gun Ban
The U.S. Attorney General's Office said that a Pennsylvania federal court considering the constitutionality of a federal ban on gun possession by medical cannabis patients should consider the U.S. Supreme Court's recent U.S. v. Rahimi ruling that upheld a gun ban for domestic abusers.
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July 19, 2024
Capital One Critics Lobby To Block 'No Good' Discover Deal
Critics of Capital One's planned $35 billion purchase of Discover Financial Services urged federal regulators on Friday to withhold approval for the tie-up, rejecting a landmark community benefits pledge for the merger as a fig leaf for what they said is really a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" megadeal.
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July 19, 2024
Judge Presses Govt. On Immigrants' Vetting Delays
A Washington federal judge on Friday pushed the government to defend a special national-security immigration vetting program, suggesting that delays in processing applications have left many people seeking citizenship and green cards in "no man's land."
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July 19, 2024
No Duty On Feds To Accept Importer's Late Filings, US Biz Say
The U.S. Department of Commerce was within its rights to reject a Vietnamese pipe company's sixth circumvention probe extension request over the importer's claim for extra time, domestic pipe makers told the U.S. Court of International Trade Friday.
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July 19, 2024
Colo. Federal Judges Point Out Recent High Turnover
Colorado's chief federal judge on Friday observed "there has been a lot of turnover" on the bench in the district over the past several years, noting five out of the seven active district court judges were nominated by President Joe Biden.
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July 19, 2024
Bank Regulators Ask 5th Circ. To Unfreeze New Lending Rules
Federal banking regulators have urged the Fifth Circuit to rescind a Texas district court's injunction blocking implementation of new community lending rules, arguing in a filing that the district court's finding essentially rewrote the Community Reinvestment Act.
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July 19, 2024
DC Circ. Upholds EPA's Revised Biogas Accounting Rules
The D.C. Circuit on Friday backed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's revamp of how it accounts for renewable transportation fuel derived from biogas, rejecting a petition from an industry group that challenged the regulations as unduly burdensome and an agency overreach.
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July 19, 2024
DC Circ. Sides With FERC In Wind Farm Hookup Cost Fight
A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in disputes related to the transmission system upgrade costs that Tenaska Clear Creek Wind LLC faced to connect a 242-megawatt wind farm in northwest Missouri to the grid.
Expert Analysis
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What Junk Fee Law Means For Biz In California And Beyond
Come July 1, companies doing business in California must ensure that the price of any good or service as offered, displayed or advertised is inclusive of all mandatory fees and other charges in compliance with S.B. 478, which may have a far-reaching impact across the country due to wide applicability, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley Austin.
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.
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8 Steps Companies Should Take After An Internal Investigation
Given the U.S. Department of Justice’s increasing focus on corporate compliance and remediation of misconduct, companies must follow through in several key ways after an internal investigation to ensure history does not repeat itself, say Jonathan Aronie and Joseph Jay at Sheppard Mullin.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
US Solar Import Probe's Focus On China Is Misguided
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation focuses on the apparent Chinese ownership of solar device importers in four Southeast Asian countries — a point that is irrelevant under the controlling statute, says John Anwesen at Lighthill.
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DC Circ. Ruling Heightens HHS Contract Pharmacy Challenges
The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling that the Section 340B program does not bar manufacturers from restricting deliveries of discounted drugs to contract pharmacies represents a second strike against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' current contract pharmacy policy and raises the stakes surrounding an upcoming Seventh Circuit ruling on the same issue, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.
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Ohio Tax Talk: The Legislative Push For Property Tax Relief
As Ohio legislators attempt to alleviate the increasing property tax burden, four recent bills that could significantly affect homeowners propose to eliminate replacement property tax levies, freeze property taxes for longtime homeowners, adjust homestead exemptions annually for inflation, and temporarily expand the homestead exemption, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law
The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist
Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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NY Public Campaign Funding May Attract Scrutiny From Feds
The upcoming elections across New York this year will be the first under the state’s public campaign finance program — which may broaden federal prosecutors' purview to target state election fraud and corruption, says Jarrod Schaeffer at Abell Eskew.
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FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
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National Security And The Commercial Space Sector: Part 2
Strategy documents recently published by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Space Force confirm the importance of the commercial space sector to the DOD, but say little about achieving the institutional changes needed to integrate commercial capabilities in support of national security in space, say Jeff Chiow and Skip Smith at Greenberg Traurig.
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FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs
The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.
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FTC Focus: Exploring The Meaning Of Orange Book Letters
The Federal Trade Commission recently announced an expansion of its campaign to promote competition by targeting pharmaceutical manufacturers' improper Orange Book patent listings, but there is a question of whether and how this helps generic entrants, say Colin Kass and David Munkittrick at Proskauer.
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3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up
Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.