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Public Policy
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November 15, 2024
FERC Ignored Calif. Hydro Permitting Mischief, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission turned a blind eye to clear evidence that California's water board gamed the permitting process in concluding that the state agency didn't waive its Clean Water Act permitting authority over two hydroelectric dams, the D.C. Circuit heard this week.
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November 15, 2024
GM's Cruise Accepts $500K Criminal Fine Over Robotaxi Crash
Cruise LLC, the autonomous vehicles subsidiary of General Motors Co., has agreed to pay $500,000 in criminal fines to end claims that it made false statements to federal highway investigators by omitting that one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian over 20 feet, according to an announcement by federal prosecutors.
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November 15, 2024
Paxton Says Texas Porn Site Law 'Modest' Way To End 'Crisis'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that a state law requiring visitors to prove their age before accessing content on certain adult-oriented websites is tailored in the most "modest" way possible to address a "public health crisis."
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November 15, 2024
Texas Judge Won't Halt CFPB Small-Biz Rule As Banks Appeal
A Texas federal judge has declined to stay the compliance date of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business lending data collection rule while a coalition of bank trade groups appeals his decision to uphold the rule's data collection requirements, saying no circumstances justify such "extraordinary relief."
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November 15, 2024
Denver Voters Reject Sales Tax Hike For Affordable Housing
Denver voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have increased the city's sales and use tax by 0.5 percentage points and dedicated the anticipated $100 million in revenue to the city's affordable housing efforts.
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November 15, 2024
Cable Biz Group Doubts FCC Legal Authority On Data Caps
Independent cable providers want the Federal Communications Commission to scrap its potential clamp down on data usage limits in broadband service plans, claiming the agency lacks legal authority to move ahead.
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November 15, 2024
Feds Say 'One' DACA Kid Not Enough To Sue Over Health Reg
The Biden administration slammed North Dakota's attempt to show financial suffering from a federal rule granting health coverage to DACA recipients, saying that the state pointing to "one" unidentified DACA individual isn't enough to establish standing for a lawsuit.
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November 15, 2024
DEA Judge Nixes Vet Group's Bid To Take Part In Pot Hearings
An administrative law judge with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday denied a veterans group's bid to participate in upcoming hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.
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November 15, 2024
Wis. Agency Issues Permits To Reroute Enbridge Pipeline
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved permits needed for Enbridge Energy to move forward with a proposal to reroute a 12-mile portion of its controversial Line 5 pipeline around a Native American reservation and build a new 41-mile segment outside the area.
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November 15, 2024
Detroit Riverfront Org.'s Ex-CFO Admits He Embezzled Funds
The former finance chief of a nonprofit that has helped redevelop Detroit's riverfront pled guilty Friday to stealing tens of millions of dollars from the organization and agreed to pay more than $44 million in restitution as part of his plea agreement.
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November 15, 2024
Hedge Fund Group Urges Trump To Reject 'Punitive' Policies
A leading industry group representing hedge funds and other alternative asset managers is urging President-elect Donald Trump to abandon "punitive" economic policies and instead propose tax and regulatory relief, including business-friendly priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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November 15, 2024
Now 'Back To Stability,' Mass. US Atty Office Set To Ramp Up
The incoming Trump administration's pick for Massachusetts U.S. attorney has a chance to revive the productivity of an office known for bringing complex and often high-profile cases, veterans of the district say, but new leadership and priorities at the Justice Department leave looming uncertainties.
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November 15, 2024
FERC Can't Justify Pipeline Project Extension, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ability to extend pipeline construction deadlines simply cannot be applied to a wholesale revision of a proposed southern spur of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, opponents of the project told the D.C. Circuit Thursday.
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November 15, 2024
Detroit 'Rain Tax' Stormwater Fees Upheld By Appellate Court
Fees that Detroit charges property owners to maintain its stormwater drainage system are not illegal taxes, a Michigan Court of Appeals panel held, finding that although the charges are effectively compulsory, they are not subject to constitutional restrictions on tax increases.
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November 15, 2024
USPTO Finalizes Adjustments In 2025 Trademark Fees
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is finalizing a proposal from earlier this year on changes to its fee structures, including adding surcharges on trademark applications lacking sufficient information and increasing the cost for paper applications.
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November 15, 2024
Ga. Attys Named Co-Class Counsel In BioLab Fire Suit
The judge overseeing a proposed class action filed against chemical manufacturer BioLab Inc. in the aftermath of an industrial fire at its Conyers, Georgia, plant gave four firms the green light to take the helm of the plaintiffs' case, clearing the way for the filing of a consolidated amended complaint.
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November 15, 2024
FCC Passes New Satellite Spectrum Sharing Rules
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday released new rules covering the sharing of spectrum by non-geostationary orbit fixed satellites that commissioners say will encourage industry growth but also protect existing systems.
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November 15, 2024
Texas Judge Strikes Down DOL Overtime Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor lacked the authority to raise the salary threshold for a Fair Labor Standards Act overtime exemption, a Texas federal judge ruled Friday, striking down a hotly contested rule that has been in effect since July.
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November 15, 2024
Pennsylvania AG Can't Stop Glass Plant From Moving To Ohio
A Pennsylvania federal judge denied the Keystone State attorney general's bid to stop a private equity firm from shutting down a Pyrex plant it purchased and moving its operations to Ohio, ruling that "there is simply insufficient evidence presented" to show that the move will be anticompetitive.
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November 15, 2024
Ayahuasca Church Urges Justices To Hear Discovery Case
An Arizona church that uses a psychedelic substance in its ceremonies has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider lower courts' rulings directing the church to turn over members' personal information to federal drug enforcement authorities.
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November 15, 2024
Off The Bench: NCAA Eligibility Fight, Movie Script Dispute
In this week's Off The Bench, a college football star takes the NCAA to court seeking one more year to play, the plot of a recent Netflix release might have been lifted from another creator and a transgender college athlete's right to compete is challenged by other players.
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November 15, 2024
Oil Terminal Co. Offers $2M To End Falsified-Inspection Claims
A Gulf Oil successor has offered to pay the state of Connecticut $2 million to settle accusations the company failed to secure new construction permits and spent years fabricating and falsifying inspection reports for existing bulk gasoline terminal tanks along New Haven Harbor in Long Island Sound, court filings show.
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November 15, 2024
Texas Judge Asked To Bar Biden Policies, Restart Border Wall
Texas counties and a rancher urged a Lone Star State federal judge Thursday to preliminarily block Biden administration immigration policies they allege run afoul of Congress' goal to have "zero illegal entries" at the U.S.-Mexico border and require the federal government to resume building a wall along the border.
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November 15, 2024
Grassley To Take 'Traditional Approach' To Blue Slips
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is signaling he will keep the process in place for home state senators' approval of district court nominees, although in the past he has claimed discretion to move forward when he thinks there's no good reason to block a nominee.
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November 15, 2024
Former ADA Notches Bias Win Against Georgia Prosecutor
A federal judge cast aside the "incredulous" defenses of a Georgia district attorney accused of denying a female attorney a promotion, finding her liable for sex discrimination after previously hitting the DA with a default order for her attempts to dodge being deposed.
Expert Analysis
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What To Make Of Dueling Corporate Transparency Act Rulings
Although challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act abound — as highlighted by recent federal court decisions from Alabama and Oregon taking opposite positions on its constitutionality — the act is still law, so companies should comply with their filing requirements or face the potential consequences, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Perspectives
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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California's AI Safety Bill Veto: The Path Forward
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto of a bill that sought to impose stringent regulations on advanced artificial intelligence model development has sparked a renewed debate on how best to balance innovation with safety in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, say Bobby Malhotra and Carson Swope at Winston & Strawn.
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Staying Off The CFPB's Financial Services Offender Registry
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's soon-to-launch registry of financial services companies that have faced public enforcement orders is designed to ratchet up long-term scrutiny of entities that could become repeat offenders, so companies should take their new compliance and filing requirements seriously, say Andrea Mitchell and Chris Napier at Mitchell Sandler.
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New TCPA Rule Faces Uncertain Future Post-Loper Bright
The Federal Communications Commission's new rule aiming to eliminate lead generators' use of unlawful robocalls is now in doubt with the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, and the Eleventh Circuit's Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC is poised to be a test case of the agency's ability to enforce the Telephone Consumer Protection Act post-Chevron, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At Calif.'s New AI Law For Health Insurers
A newly enacted California law prohibits artificial intelligence tools from making medical necessity determinations for healthcare service plans or disability insurers, addressing core questions that have arisen around AI's role in coverage decisions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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New HHS Research Misconduct Rules Bring Seismic Changes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new rule regarding research misconduct investigations brings significant changes that focus on remediation, appeals and confidentiality, while other changes could result in institutions causing undue harm to scientists accused of such misconduct, say attorneys at Cohen Seglias.
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To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations
A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.
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Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork
Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean
A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk
The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.
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Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.
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What's Inside Feds' Latest Bank Merger Review Proposals
Recent bank merger proposals from a trio of federal agencies highlight the need for banks looking to grow through acquisition to consider several key issues much earlier in the planning process than has historically been necessary, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.