Public Policy

  • August 05, 2024

    Latest Draft Widens Scope Of UN Tax Convention

    Diplomats would gain flexibility on the scope, commitments and source material of a United Nations convention on international tax cooperation under a revised guidance for negotiators released ahead of a debate Monday as preliminary talks inch closer to finishing.

  • August 05, 2024

    Sen. Urges CFPB To Investigate Banks' Zelle Dispute Practices

    U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to investigate the nation's three largest banks and the operator behind payments network Zelle after he said the firms gave "circuitous answers" to lawmakers during a hearing on their handling of fraud and dispute resolutions on the platform.

  • August 05, 2024

    Judge Mostly Preserves Md. Firearm Restrictions

    A Maryland federal judge has granted a permanent injunction blocking some provisions of a Maryland law restricting where residents can publicly carry firearms, while allowing the bulk of its restrictions to remain in effect.

  • August 05, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Sunken treasure, rock band discord, a wrestling competition, and more news about Elon Musk — all in all, a colorful week in Delaware's Court of Chancery. The First State's famous court of equity also pushed forward on disputes involving a famous social media app, Delaware's largest hospital system, an artificial intelligence company and a budding commodity futures exchange.

  • August 05, 2024

    5th NYC Housing Worker Gets Prison In Anti-Corruption Bust

    A Manhattan federal judge hit a retired public housing worker with 20 months in prison on Monday for taking over $83,000 of bribes, showing that prison is the most likely outcome for those convicted of felonies in the anti-bribery sweep.

  • August 05, 2024

    Atlanta, County Say Cops' Firing Claims 'Rife With Conjecture'

    Fulton County, Georgia, and the city of Atlanta are urging the Eleventh Circuit to reject the "unadorned conspiracy theories" of two police officers who allege they were wrongly fired and arrested over their widely publicized shooting of a Black man in the city in the summer of 2020.

  • August 05, 2024

    El Paso Inks Deal Over NM Agency's $1.3M Sewage Dump Fine

    An El Paso, Texas, water utility is moving to end a lawsuit against the New Mexico Environment Department that challenged two compliance orders and a nearly $1.3 million penalty imposed against it over sewage diversions into the Rio Grande.

  • August 05, 2024

    Dems Unearth Another Thomas Trip Paid For By Harlan Crow

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took a previously undisclosed trip between Hawaii and New Zealand on a billionaire Republican donor's private jet in 2010, lawmakers revealed in a letter Monday that offered the donor a "final opportunity" to explain how that trip and others don't constitute a tax fraud scheme.

  • August 05, 2024

    Transportation Policies To Watch: Midyear 2024 Review

    Rail and aviation safety reforms following recent incidents, stricter vehicle emission standards guiding automakers' gradual pivot to electrification, and the integration of new automation and drone technology are some of the transportation industry's top regulatory priorities to watch in the second half of 2024.

  • August 05, 2024

    US Chamber Backs Rail Co. Challenge To Crew Size Rule

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed railroad companies' argument that the Federal Railroad Administration overstepped by implementing a rule that requires trains to be operated by at least two people, telling the Eleventh Circuit the rule was imposed without adequate justification or consideration of companies' interests.

  • August 05, 2024

    Dems Urge CFTC To Finalize Elections Trading Ban

    A group of Democratic lawmakers urged the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday to finalize and implement its proposed rule to ban trading on the outcome of elections.

  • August 05, 2024

    Pennsylvania Legislation To Watch In 2024: A Midyear Report

    The Pennsylvania legislature is following other jurisdictions striving to make social media safer while preserving free speech, and putting stricter limits on "forever chemicals" that had been widely used in firefighting applications and products for resisting stains and stickiness. Here, Law360 looks at some of the Pennsylvania bills attorneys are watching in 2024.

  • August 05, 2024

    9th Circ. Denies Rehearing Bid In ESA Fish Protection Suit

    The Ninth Circuit denied conservation groups' request to rehear a ruling affirming the federal government's approval of water supply contracts for the Central Valley Project in California.

  • August 02, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds Challenge To Surprise Medical Billing Rule

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday affirmed wins for plaintiffs challenging provisions of a federal surprise medical billing rule that relate to payment fights between out-of-network providers and health insurers, agreeing with a Texas federal judge that the rule places "a thumb on the scale" in insurers' favor.

  • August 02, 2024

    CFPB Takes Fintech Flak Over Credit Card-Like BNPL Policy

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is facing fresh industry pushback to its guidance that aims to extend more credit card-like protections to the fintech-dominated market for buy-now, pay-later loans, with key providers arguing it is trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.

  • August 02, 2024

    Fla.'s Trans Healthcare Ban Violates Title VII, Judge Says

    A Florida federal judge has ruled the state's Department of Management Services illegally excluded gender-affirming treatment for transgender employees under state-sponsored health benefits plans, finding the state's exclusion only applies to trans individuals and is facially discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

  • August 02, 2024

    Uber Legal Chief Takes Leave To Aid Kamala Harris' Campaign

    Uber Technologies' Tony West, who has served as its chief legal officer since 2017, will take a leave of absence to volunteer for his sister-in-law Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, a representative of the ride-share company confirmed Friday.

  • August 02, 2024

    Connecticut City Gets Ex-Cop's Arbitration Win Vacated

    In a legally rare decision, a Connecticut state judge vacated an arbitration panel's determination that forced a city to reinstate a fired police lieutenant, ruling the arbiters were wrong to ignore an earlier court order banning the lieutenant from coming within 100 yards of the city's police chief.

  • August 02, 2024

    BigLaw Insurer Calls FirstEnergy Ruling Threat To Privilege

    The Attorneys' Liability Assurance Society and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce threw their support Friday behind FirstEnergy's call for the Sixth Circuit to block investors' access to internal investigative documents produced by two BigLaw firms after a $1 billion bribery scandal became public.

  • August 02, 2024

    OT Rule Exceeds DOL's Authority, Red States Argue

    A group of 14 red states joined Texas in calling for a federal court to strike down the U.S. Department of Labor's rule raising salary thresholds for a federal overtime exemption, claiming in a brief that the new rule would hit their states particularly hard.

  • August 02, 2024

    Dems Launch Bill To Expand Zelle, Venmo Fraud Protections

    U.S. Senate and House Democrats on Friday proposed revisions to the Electronic Fund Transfer Act aimed at bolstering protections for consumers who fall victim to scams perpetrated by means such as mobile wallets, payment apps and wire transfers.

  • August 02, 2024

    Unnamed Auditor Suing PCAOB Ordered To Disclose Identity

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge has ordered an anonymous auditor to disclose their identity in their constitutional challenge attacking the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board amid their disciplinary proceedings, ruling Friday disclosure won't reveal any sensitive information and won't have a chilling effect deterring future litigants from suing the board.

  • August 02, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    In this inaugural edition of Wheeling & Appealing, Law360 recaps recent appellate opinions that made waves, quizzes readers about a new word for judicial grievances, and previews August arguments in circuit courts over controversial wage rules and a seven-figure attorney fee award after a digital age intellectual property trial.

  • August 02, 2024

    5th Circ. Remands FDA's E-Cigarette Product Denials

    The Fifth Circuit has once again said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acted unlawfully when the agency denied a number of requests from e-cigarette manufacturers seeking permission to sell their flavored vapes.

  • August 02, 2024

    Iowa, ND Move For Win In NEPA Rule Fight

    States led by Iowa and North Dakota are asking a federal judge to scrap a Council on Environmental Quality rule they say threatens to turn the National Environmental Policy Act into an "action-forcing" process to advance the Biden administration's climate and environmental justice goals.

Expert Analysis

  • Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks

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    The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • What's In NYDFS Guidance On Use Of AI In Insurance

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    Matthew Gaul and Shlomo Potesky at Willkie summarize the New York Department of Financial Services' recently adopted circular letter on the use of artificial intelligence in insurance underwriting and pricing, and highlight the material changes made to it in response to comments on the draft circular letter.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Drip Pricing Exemption Isn't A Free Pass For Calif. Eateries

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    A new exemption relieves California bars and restaurants from the recently effective law banning prices that don't reflect mandatory fees and charges — but such establishments aren't entirely off the hook for drip pricing, due to uncertainty over disclosure requirements and pending federal junk fee regulations, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley.

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

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    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances

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    Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.

  • FTC Focus: Private Equity Investments In Healthcare

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    As the Federal Trade Commission is tightening its scrutiny of private equity investment in healthcare, the agency is finding novel grounds to challenge key focus areas, including rollup acquisitions, the flip-and-strip approach and minority investments in rival providers, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • What Patent Litigators Should Know About CHIPS Act Grants

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    With the U.S. Department of Commerce now actively awarding grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, recipients should ensure they understand the implications of promises to construct new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, especially in jurisdictions with active patent litigation dockets, say Gabriel Culver and Peter Hillegas at Norton Rose.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Opinion

    Data Breach Reporting Requirements Must Change In AI Age

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    Outdated data breach reporting laws are inadequate to protect consumers in the age of artificial intelligence, as AI’s ability to determine relationships coupled with its improvements to deepfake technology mean that the very definitions used in breach reporting laws are no longer sufficient, says Collin Walke at Hall Estill.

  • Unpacking HHS' Opinion On Cell Therapy Refund Programs

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    A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determining that a biopharma company's refund program for its cell therapy will not be penalized, indicates an encouraging willingness to engage, but the regulator's assumptions about the program's limited term warrant a closer look, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

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