Public Policy

  • October 18, 2024

    LA County DA Defends Progressive Policies In Reelection Bid

    George Gascón, the progressive Los Angeles County district attorney who's survived two recall efforts during his first term as top prosecutor, is standing by his reformist policies, which aim to curb mass incarceration and police misconduct, as he fights to keep his seat in November.

  • October 18, 2024

    57 Scholars, Former Judges Call For High Court Term Limits

    A group of 57 constitutional scholars and retired federal and state judges wrote a letter to the leaders of Congress on Wednesday urging them to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, proposing guardrails that they said are "urgently needed at a time of plummeting confidence" in the nation's highest court.

  • October 18, 2024

    Expect Mental Health Parity Data Guidance, DOL Official Says

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm is working on guidance to help employer health plans comply with data collection and analysis requirements tied to recently finalized mental health and substance use disorder treatment coverage rules, an agency official told attorneys Friday.

  • October 18, 2024

    AG Taps DOJ Veteran To Lead Executive Office Of US Attys

    Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has chosen a longtime government lawyer to serve as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, which serves as liaison between the U.S. Department of Justice and the country's 93 U.S. attorneys.

  • October 18, 2024

    Feds Win 1st Trial In Sprawling NYC Housing Bribery Case

    A former New York City Housing Authority superintendent was convicted of taking bribes to award no-bid contracts, handing federal prosecutors a win in the first trial in a case that saw 70 defendants arrested earlier this year.

  • October 18, 2024

    FTC Faces More Pressure To Block $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal

    A dozen advocacy groups are pushing the Federal Trade Commission to block Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion purchase of Catalent, arguing that the deal would stifle competition for certain obesity and gene therapy drugs — and that no remedy can fix that.

  • October 17, 2024

    Monsanto Again Seeks Pause As Seattle PCB Trial Begins

    Monsanto is continuing its appellate bid to put off a chemical poisoning trial already underway in Washington state court as the plaintiffs told a Seattle jury on Thursday the company owes them more than $450 million, in the 10th such trial tied to an Evergreen State school.

  • October 17, 2024

    E-Cig Regs Are Congress' Job, Not FDA's, GOP Pols Tell Justices

    Republican lawmakers told the U.S. Supreme Court that Congress, not the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, should regulate flavored e-cigarettes, and that the regulator overstepped its authority by banning the sale of the vape products.

  • October 17, 2024

    Dems Sue FEC Over GOP's Alleged Ad Spending Tactics

    With less than 20 days until the election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, alleging the agency should have stopped Republicans from using an advertising tactic that allows the party to get around spending limits.

  • October 17, 2024

    'It's The First Amendment, Stupid': Judge Blasts Fla.'s Threats

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday blocked the state from threatening television stations with criminal prosecution if they did not pull a campaign ad promoting an abortion rights ballot initiative, calling the ads political speech that "is at the core of the First Amendment."

  • October 17, 2024

    Tulsa Massacre Survivors Want Accountability In DOJ Review

    The federal government, in its first probe into one of the deadliest episodes of mass racial violence in the country's history that came during a period of Black affluence in an Indian Country community, is asking the public to come forward with more information that can help its review.

  • October 17, 2024

    CFTC Says Court 'Erred At Every Turn' In Election Betting Suit

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission told the D.C. Circuit that the district court "erred at every turn" when it allowed trading platform KalshiEx LLC to offer event contracts based on the outcome of U.S. elections.

  • October 17, 2024

    DOL, Red States Spar Over Loper Bright Impact On ESG Rule

    Conservative-led states suing the U.S. Department of Labor have told a Texas federal court that the end of the Chevron doctrine boosts their bid to end a rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors in investment choices, while the DOL argued that it deserves another summary judgment win.

  • October 17, 2024

    USPTO Told More Clarity Needed On AI And Patent Eligibility

    Numerous companies and industry groups have said they welcome the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new guidance on when inventions involving artificial intelligence are eligible for patents, but many urged the agency to provide additional clarity and practical examples.

  • October 17, 2024

    9th Circ. Upholds Wash. City's Anti-Car Camping Law

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rebuffed a veteran's challenge to a Washington city's ordinance that he says displaced residents living in their vehicles, ruling Thursday that the ordinance does not violate his purported right to intrastate travel, which the judges said may not exist to begin with.

  • October 17, 2024

    Supreme Court Signals Skepticism On Staying Federal Rules

    A recent string of refusals to block major Biden administration energy and climate change rules suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court is setting limits on its willingness to elbow aside lower courts that are considering challenges to such rules, legal experts say.

  • October 17, 2024

    DC Circ. Scrutinizes New TSA Worker Screening Rule

    D.C. Circuit judges on Thursday sought an explanation from municipal airport operators challenging new federal screening rules as a costly burden that saddles them with unconstitutional liabilities, questioning them on how the new rules differ from other requirements for airports.

  • October 17, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Says Traffic Delays Didn't Warrant Deportation

    A split Ninth Circuit has overturned the deportation order of a Guatemalan woman who was late to court after two major accidents turned a two-hour drive into a four-hour one, saying the immigration judge who ordered her removed had failed "to consider the totality of the circumstances."

  • October 17, 2024

    NTIA Drops 1st List Of Self-Identified 'Build America' Makers

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has released the first list of self-identifying manufacturers complying with the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program's Build America, Buy America waiver.

  • October 17, 2024

    FERC Adds Tribal Protections To Transmission Siting Rule

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously finalized its rule updating how the agency plans to carry out its limited authority over siting transmission lines during its monthly meeting on Thursday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Feds Approve More Immigration Relief For Lebanese Nationals

    The Biden administration on Thursday authorized humanitarian immigration protections that will allow potentially thousands of Lebanese nationals to temporarily stay and work in the U.S. without having to return to their war-torn country.

  • October 17, 2024

    Consumer Groups Back DOT In Airline Fees Rule Fight

    Consumer advocates have told the Fifth Circuit that a U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose add-on fees upfront would curtail the industry's trickery in airfare marketing, foster competition and save individual travelers frustration, time and money.

  • October 17, 2024

    BIA Says Officer's Evals, Report Off Limits In Liability Dispute

    The Bureau of Indian Affairs says a Northern Cheyenne woman who was sexually assaulted by one of its former officers isn't entitled to his psychological evaluation or criminal presentencing report, arguing that the information is protected under state and federal law in the dispute over the federal agency's liability.

  • October 17, 2024

    Colorado Judges Doubt Giuliani Shielded For 2020 Lies

    Colorado appellate judges appeared skeptical Thursday of Rudy Giuliani's bid to escape a defamation lawsuit by a former executive for Dominion Voting Systems, noting that they already found Giuliani's statements weren't protected in a related appeal.

  • October 17, 2024

    Justices Urged To Fix 'Novel Misreading' Of IP Safe Harbor

    Edwards Lifesciences is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rein in what's covered under a drug-development safe harbor to avoid patent infringement, saying the Federal Circuit wrongfully expanded it in a "novel misreading" of the law.

Expert Analysis

  • New HHS Research Misconduct Rules Bring Seismic Changes

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    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.

  • To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations

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    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.

  • Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork

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    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.

  • What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean

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    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.

  • HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk

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    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.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    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.

  • Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?

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    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.

  • What's Inside Feds' Latest Bank Merger Review Proposals

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    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.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    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.

  • Cos. Should Focus On State AI Laws Despite New DOL Site

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    Because a new U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website about the disability discrimination risks of AI hiring tools mostly echoes old guidance, employers should focus on complying with the state and local AI workplace laws springing up where Congress and federal regulators have yet to act, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next

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    The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

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    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    With the implementation of H.B. 989, the third quarter of 2024 has been transformative for banking law and regulation in Florida, and this new law places a strong emphasis on fair access to banking, and prohibits ideologically or politically motivated decisions by financial institutions, says Sha’Ron James at Gunster.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

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