Public Policy

  • January 06, 2025

    Pa. Licensing Law For Vape-Makers Flawed, Panel Finds

    Part of Pennsylvania's law regulating licenses for e-cigarette manufacturers is unconstitutional because it gives legislative power to the state's Department of Revenue, an appellate court has ruled in an issue of first impression.

  • January 06, 2025

    DC Judge Denies Atty's Bid To Hasten Search For DEA Leak

    A D.C. federal judge Monday denied a Texas attorney's bid to force the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to turn over purported communications between agency personnel and anti-legalization activists regarding a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.

  • January 06, 2025

    No Fox Philly License Hearing Means 'Dereliction,' FCC Told

    With just two weeks left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office and Republicans gain control of the Federal Communications Commission, a group of anti-Fox News advocates are calling out the commission for failing to hold any hearings on Fox's Philadelphia affiliate's license renewal.

  • January 06, 2025

    High Court Must Adopt New Voting Standard, Justices Told

    Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is asking the high court to adopt a standard to measure state courts' interpretations of law on the regulation of federal elections, arguing that the justices have an opportunity to correct an earlier opinion that says plaintiffs can challenge a state election map's constitutionality.

  • January 06, 2025

    Judge Rejects Rape Kit Seller's 2nd Bid To Pause Wash. Ban

    A Washington federal judge has denied a request for an injunction pending appeal by a company challenging the state's ban on the sale of "DIY" DNA collection kits for sexual assault survivors, reiterating his prior ruling that the law passes constitutional muster because it regulates conduct and not speech.

  • January 06, 2025

    T-Mobile's Lax Policies Led To 2021 Data Hack, Wash. AG Says

    Washington's attorney general on Monday accused T-Mobile of repeatedly ignoring cyber-threat warnings leading up to a 2021 data breach that exposed sensitive personal data belonging to more than 2 million customers in the state.

  • January 06, 2025

    Pa. Lawmaker's 'Defamatory' Memo Is Deemed Immune

    Legislative immunity protects a Pennsylvania state senator from an energy executive's claims that he was defamed with a memo about legislation to close a legal loophole associated with his name, according to a ruling from a state appellate court.

  • January 06, 2025

    Biden OKs Social Security Fix In Move Cheered By Unions

    Former government employees who have had their Social Security checks slashed because they receive a pension will see larger payouts this year now that President Joe Biden signed a bill repealing the decades-old benefit cuts, a move applauded by government employee unions.

  • January 06, 2025

    DOD Tells DC Circ. It's Pondering New Time-In-Service Regs

    The U.S. Department of Defense told the D.C. Circuit that litigation over its scrapped time-in-service requirements for immigrant soldiers to be eligible for naturalization is not moot, because it may issue new requirements — an assertion that soldiers who successfully challenged the policy panned.

  • January 06, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission successfully blocked Kroger's purchase of Albertsons while continuing to battle with Tempur Sealy and its planned buy of Mattress Firm, and Novo Nordisk managed to finalize its purchase of Catalent. Here, Law360 takes a look at some of the major merger review developments from December.

  • January 06, 2025

    DOJ Backs Later 30-Day Window For Removal Appeals

    The federal government told the U.S. Supreme Court that a 30-day deadline for noncitizens to challenge removal orders only applies for purposes of judicial review when proceedings in lower tribunals conclude, not when the initial removal orders are issued.

  • January 06, 2025

    Ill. Bill Aims To Extend Affordable Housing Tax Break Deadline

    Illinois would allow some owners of affordable rental housing until the end of 2037 to apply for a reduction in their property's assessed value for tax purposes as part of a bill introduced in the state Senate.

  • January 06, 2025

    Frontier Tests DC Airport Slot Exemptions At DC Circ.

    Frontier Airlines Inc. is contesting a decision from federal transportation regulators to exclude the budget carrier from a list of airlines allowed to operate new long-distance flights out of Reagan National Airport, just outside Washington, D.C.

  • January 06, 2025

    NC Justices To Decide Ballot Challenge In High Court Race

    A Republican appellate judge looking to throw out more than 60,000 votes in his race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court succeeded Monday in getting his legal challenge kicked back to the Tar Heel State's top court, with a federal judge finding it wasn't his place to decide the matter.

  • January 06, 2025

    On Capitol Riot Anniversary, DOJ Update Says 1,500 Charged

    On the fourth anniversary of the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol and the day President-elect Donald Trump's victory was to be made official, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that over 1,500 defendants have been charged with federal crimes related to the insurrection.

  • January 06, 2025

    FCC Warns Of $2.3M Pirate Radio Fine In Boston

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday warned a Dorchester, Massachusetts, property owner of a potential fine reaching more than $2.3 million for an alleged pirate radio operation.

  • January 06, 2025

    New Joint Bar Task Force To Tackle Indigent Defense In NYC

    The New York City Bar Association announced Monday that it has teamed up with the city's county bar associations to form a task force assessing the NYC Assigned Counsel Plan, which assigns lawyers to indigent people in criminal and family courts who can't be served by institutional legal service providers.

  • January 06, 2025

    Biden Closes Off Coastal Areas To Offshore Drilling

    President Joe Biden on Monday announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in more than 625 million acres of U.S. waters on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in Alaska after determining that the environmental and economic risks and harms outweigh the benefits of drilling.

  • January 06, 2025

    Jenner & Block Faces DQ Bid In Casino Project Dispute

    Three Native American tribes want Jenner & Block LLP disqualified from a lawsuit that seeks to block the construction of a new casino in Oregon, claiming the firm previously represented them in the same dispute.

  • January 06, 2025

    Insurance Execs Seek Defense Costs For Self-Dealing Suit

    Insurance company executives who were fired amid accusations they stole assets from their company to start a competing venture demanded coverage for the dispute from their new business's insurer in Georgia Federal Court.

  • January 06, 2025

    FTC Blasts Tempur Sealy's New Floor-Space Promise

    The Federal Trade Commission told a Texas federal court a revised commitment from Tempur Sealy to preserve floor space for rivals in Mattress Firm stores would not restore the competition lost by a merger of the companies because it cannot be enforced.

  • January 06, 2025

    NY Pot Agencies Want Hemp Regulations Challenge Tossed

    New York's state cannabis regulators are urging a federal court to throw out a challenge to its new hemp regulations, saying that the new rules are necessary to close a loophole through which retailers were selling products that were technically hemp, but are as intoxicating as cannabis.

  • January 06, 2025

    US Wants More Time To Counter Altria's $106M Tax Refund Bid

    Tobacco giant Altria's complaint seeking a $106 million tax refund related to its interests in beverage company Anheuser-Busch requires more research to counter in the event a Virginia federal court decides it can move forward, the U.S. government said in requesting time for potential discovery.

  • January 06, 2025

    Fed's Barr To Step Down As Supervision Head Next Month

    Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael S. Barr announced Monday that he will step down from his current role next month, a reversal that paves the way for President-elect Donald Trump to appoint his own head of the central bank's oversight of big banks and regulatory policymaking.

  • January 06, 2025

    Trudeau Steps Down As US-Canada Trade Tensions Simmer

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he will resign as the leader of the country's Liberal Party, setting off a process to replace him in the coming months.

Expert Analysis

  • Immigration Atty Tips For Avoiding Prosecution Under Trump

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    Under the incoming Trump administration, immigration attorneys may need to protect themselves from prosecution when advising clients who may not qualify for relief sought by choosing their words carefully and keeping other key factors in mind, says Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi.

  • Back To The Future? Antitrust Enforcement Under Trump 2.0

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    While the transition to the second Trump administration's antitrust policy should be accompanied by less uncertainty, we're unlikely to get a full sense of the true focus and tenor of competition enforcement under Trump 2.0 before late next year, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • A Closer Look At SDNY Bankruptcy Rule Amendments

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    The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York’s recent amendments to its local rules aim to streamline key Chapter 11 processes, resolve misunderstandings about previous iterations of the rules and urge caution about the use of artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • How Litigation, Supply Chains Buffeted Offshore Wind In 2024

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    U.S. offshore wind developers continue to face a range of challenges — including litigation brought by local communities and interest groups, ongoing supply chain issues, and a lack of interconnection and transmission infrastructure — in addition to uncertainty surrounding federal energy policy under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • FTX Exec's Sentencing Shows Pros And Cons Of Cooperation

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    The sentencing of former FTX tech deputy Gary Wang, whose cooperation netted him a rare outcome of no prison time, offers critical takeaways for attorneys and clients navigating the burgeoning world of crypto-related prosecutions, says Andrew Meck at Whiteford.

  • What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry

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    The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024

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    Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • Corporate Liability Issues To Watch In High Court TM Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trademark dispute between Dewberry Group and Dewberry Engineers next week, presenting an opportunity for the court to drastically alter the fundamental approach to piercing the corporate veil, or adopt a more limited approach and preserve existing norms, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Every Dog Has Its Sick Day: Inside NYC's Pet Leave Bill

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    In what would be a first-of-its-kind law for a major metropolitan area, a recent proposal would amend New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act to include animal care as an accepted use of sick leave — and employers may not think it's the cat's meow, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • Plugging Gov't Leaks Is Challenging, But Not A Pipe Dream

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    As shown by ongoing legal battles involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Sean “Diddy” Combs, it’s challenging for defendants to obtain relief when they believe the government leaked sensitive information to the media, but defense counsel can take certain steps to mitigate the harm, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Antitrust in Retail: Handbag Ruling Won't Go Out Of Fashion

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    Although a New York federal court’s recent decision to enjoin a proposed $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Michael Kors and Coach applied noncontroversial antitrust interpretations, several notable aspects of the opinion stand out as likely candidates for further discussion in future merger litigation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Federal Embrace Of Crypto Regs Won't Lower State Hurdles

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    Even if the incoming presidential administration and next Congress focus on creating clearer federal regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency sector, companies bringing digital asset products and services to the market will still face significant state-level barriers, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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