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Public Policy
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November 14, 2024
'We'll Leave It To Others': SEC's Gensler Hints At Exit
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler gave a lengthy speech Thursday about his legacy and what remains to be done on regulations related to investors' climate, artificial intelligence and crypto concerns.
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November 14, 2024
Judiciary Chair Calls For Release Of Gaetz Ethics Report
A day after President-elect Donald Trump announced former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, questions linger on whether the potentially damaging House Ethics Committee report on his alleged sexual misconduct will see the light of day now that he resigned.
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November 14, 2024
Trump Picks RFK Jr. To Lead Health & Human Services
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccination activist and former presidential candidate, is his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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November 14, 2024
4th Circ. Nomination Sent To Full Senate With NC Senator's Ire
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced on Thursday the nomination of Ryan Young Park, solicitor general of North Carolina, to the Fourth Circuit, with one Republican senator repeating his warning that Park does not have the votes.
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November 14, 2024
9th Circ. Says Immigration Board Flubbed Priest's Asylum Bid
The Ninth Circuit revived a Salvadoran priest's asylum bid, ruling that the Board of Immigration Appeals overlooked the connection between his alleged persecution and his refusal to use his influence as a church leader to support a major political party's agenda.
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November 14, 2024
Mass. Justices Open Show-Cause Hearings In Brothel Case
Massachusetts' highest court said Thursday that the public may access hearings that will determine whether criminal charges will be brought against as-yet unidentified customers of a high-end brothel, a group that potentially includes public officials, corporate executives and individuals with security clearances.
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November 14, 2024
NY Contractor Cops To Aiding Theft In Commercial Bribe Case
A New York contractor pled guilty on Thursday in the Manhattan district attorney's commercial bribery case alleging dozens of construction industry defendants conspired to steal from developers in a sprawling kickback scheme involving $100 million in contracts.
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November 14, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Rethink Denial Of Church Tax Exemption
The D.C. Circuit rejected a request to reconsider the tax status of an Iowa church that used a psychedelic drug in its rites, letting stand its decision that because the church uses a federally illegal drug, it isn't entitled to tax-exempt status.
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November 14, 2024
Capri, Tapestry Kill $8.5B Handbag Deal Amid FTC Battle
Capri Holdings Ltd. and Tapestry Inc. have called off their $8.5 billion merger following an extended regulatory battle with the Federal Trade Commission, with the companies mutually agreeing to terminate the deal because it is "unlikely" to obtain the regulatory approvals needed to close on time, Capri said Thursday.
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November 13, 2024
Trump's Card Rate Cap Idea Could See Red State Pushback
In a glimpse of potential future fault lines between red-state officials and the next Trump administration, West Virginia's top state attorney on Wednesday suggested litigation could be on the table if the White House bucks regulatory restraint to push ideas like capping credit card interest rates.
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November 13, 2024
Telecom Co. Lumen's Contract Breach Suit Survives, For Now
A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday ruled that an engineering consulting firm is liable to telecommunications company Lumen Technologies for damages caused by a subcontractor's faulty structural analysis, but said she couldn't yet rule on whether Florida law and a two-year statute of limitation barred Lumen's claims against the firm.
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November 13, 2024
Chinese Hackers Stole Call Data From Telecom Cos., Feds Say
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced Wednesday that they have identified individuals associated with the Chinese government who have hacked into the networks of multiple telecommunications companies in search of private communications of people involved in government and political activity.
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November 13, 2024
UNC Tennis Player Narrows Prize-Money Suit Against NCAA
A University of North Carolina tennis player is taking another swing at NCAA rules stopping college athletes from accepting prize money in outside tournaments, this time limiting the proposed class action to Division I tennis players rather than athletes in a slew of non-revenue generating college sports.
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November 13, 2024
Tempur Sealy Has 'Keys' To Merger, Mattress Firm CEO Says
Mattress Firm's CEO told a Houston judge Wednesday that he has not had any involvement in Tempur Sealy's post-acquisition agreements with mattress suppliers, testifying that Tempur's board chairman and CEO is the one "driving" the deal.
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November 13, 2024
7th Circ. Won't Halt Ind. Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Ban
A split Seventh Circuit reversed a lower court's preliminary injunction order Tuesday that stopped an Indiana law prohibiting its physicians from providing gender-affirming care through medication to minors, finding the plaintiff's view on the law would result in allowing parents to decline to take a seriously injured child to the hospital.
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November 13, 2024
Republic Bank's 'Dysfunction' Enabled Its Failure, FDIC Says
The former Republic First Bank failed because of its inability to hold certain debt securities, its insufficient liquidity and an ineffective board and management team, according to a post-mortem review issued Wednesday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s watchdog.
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November 13, 2024
Wash. Attys Expect Gov. And AG Will Keep Them Busy
Despite President-elect Donald Trump's anticipated de-emphasis of regulatory enforcement, Washington state antitrust and consumer protection attorneys are still expecting plenty of work in the coming years, as the new Democratic governor-attorney general duo are expected to step up local enforcement.
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November 13, 2024
Defenders, Prosecutors Clash On Proposed Wash. Case Caps
As public defenders called on the Washington Supreme Court on Wednesday to adopt lightened caseload standards to stem the exodus of attorneys from the indigent defense field, prosecutors chalked up those concerns to career dissatisfaction and cautioned the court the updated rules would catapult local governments into budgetary crisis.
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November 13, 2024
Transport Co. Wants To End Calif. Family Separation Suit
Transportation services provider MVM Inc. urged a California federal judge to toss a proposed class action by a father and son who were separated after crossing the border, arguing Tuesday the Trump-era separation policy was enacted by the U.S. government, and that MVM was simply executing its contractual duties.
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November 13, 2024
DOJ Doc Pushes For Strong Antitrust Compliance Programs
Companies hoping antitrust compliance programs will mitigate or even eliminate U.S. Department of Justice criminal prosecution for bid-rigging, price-fixing and market allocation schemes need strong monitoring, remediation, oversight and responsibility, according to new guidance released Tuesday.
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November 13, 2024
Md. Electricity 'Greenwashing' Law Is A Muzzle, Judge Told
A Maryland law attempting to crack down on electricity suppliers' "greenwashing" claims unconstitutionally mandates companies speak about their product in a way that conforms to what the state considers "sustainable energy," a renewable energy company and an advocacy organization argued in Maryland federal court.
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November 13, 2024
Cox Eyes Federal Suit After RI Court Tosses BEAD Case
Cox Communications has signaled that it may sue in federal court after a Rhode Island state judge tossed on jurisdictional grounds its complaint accusing state officials of botching the rollout of federal broadband deployment dollars.
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November 13, 2024
TikTok Asks To Keep NC AG's Addiction Complaint Redacted
TikTok Inc. is asking a North Carolina state court to keep redacted portions of a complaint by the state alleging that it targets youth to make them compulsive and addicted users, saying parts of the complaint include information from confidential documents and trade secrets.
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November 13, 2024
Copyright Chief: Fair Use A Tough Issue In Upcoming AI Report
An upcoming report from the U.S. Copyright Office addressing questions of infringement and training artificial intelligence models with copyrighted material will address fair use, Shira Perlmutter, the office's director, told a U.S. Senate oversight panel Wednesday.
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November 13, 2024
Boston Says Celebrity Chef Owes $1.6M In Taxes
The city of Boston is taking celebrity chef Barbara Lynch to court, alleging that for more than a decade she has failed to pay over $1.6 million in personal property taxes for her group of restaurants, which she is in the process of closing and attempting to sell.
Expert Analysis
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Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming
The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Ruling On Foreign Dividend Break Offers 2 Tax Court Insights
In Varian v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court allowed a taxpayer's deduction for dividends from foreign subsidiaries, providing clarity on how the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision may affect challenges to Treasury regulations, and revealing a potential disallowance of foreign tax credits, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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How Loper Bright Is Affecting Pending FCC Litigation
Pending challenges against Federal Communications Commission orders at the Sixth and Eleventh Circuits following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright highlight that counsel must be familiar with the statutes, regulations and precedent relevant to the FCC to best navigate the rapidly changing compliance landscape, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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What PCOAB's Broadened Liability Rule Means For Auditors
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent vote agreeing to lower the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's liability standard, allowing the board to charge individual auditors whose mere negligence leads firms into PCOAB violations, may erode inspection cooperation, shrink the talent pool and have anticompetitive outcomes, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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USPTO Guidance Suggests 2 Strategies For AI Inventions
Analyzing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent guidance, it appears that there are at least two paths for establishing that an artificial intelligence invention is eligible for protection, and that which strategy to use may turn on how broadly the invention is applied, says William Morriss at Frost Brown.
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Employer Tips For PUMP Act Compliance As Law Turns 2
Enacted in December 2022, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a private space for employees to express breast milk, but some companies may still be struggling with how to comply, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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4 Takeaways From The FDIC's Proposed Recordkeeping Rule
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s new proposed rule would impose recordkeeping and other compliance requirements on custodial deposit accounts with transactional features, and practitioners should be aware of four important factors, including who is affected and who is exempt, say attorneys at Covington.
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Series
Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.
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Navigating Restrictions Following Biotech Bill House Passage
Ahead of the BIOSECURE Act’s potential enactment, companies that obtain equipment from certain Chinese biotechnology companies should consider whether the act would restrict their ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. government and what steps they might take in response, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Presidents And Precedents May Direct Khan's Future Course
While the Sept. 25 technical expiration of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's term demands no immediate action, it does invite an analysis of commission policy and post-election possibilities, says Axinn's Richard Dagen, a former FTC official.
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SEC Settlement Holds Important Pay-To-Play Lessons
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent fine of an investment adviser, whose new hire made a campaign contribution within a crucial lookback period, is a seasonable reminder for public fund managers to ensure their processes thoroughly screen all associates for even minor violations of the SEC’s strict pay-to-play rule, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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What's In Colorado's 1st-Of-Its-Kind Neural Privacy Law
Colorado recently became the first U.S. state to directly regulate neurotechnology with new legislation amending the Colorado Privacy Act to specifically protect biological and neural data, offering an example of how lawmakers can tackle the perceived regulation gaps in this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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What To Expect From Calif. Bill Regulating PE In Healthcare
A California bill currently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval, intended to increase oversight over private equity and hedge fund investments in healthcare, is emblematic of recent increased scrutiny of investments in the space, and may affect transactions and operations in California in a number of ways, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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7 Takeaways For Companies After Justices' Bribery Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Snyder v. U.S. decision this summer, holding that a federal law does not criminalize after-the-fact gratuities made to public officials, raises some key considerations for companies that engage with state, local and tribal governments, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.