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Public Policy
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November 14, 2024
FTC's Holyoak Says New Comment Portal Shows Merger Bias
Federal Trade Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Thursday the design of a new portal allowing the public to comment on pending deals shows signs of the current leadership's view that all mergers are bad.
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November 14, 2024
Senate Panel Delays Votes On Patent Eligibility And PTAB Bills
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday postponed planned votes on legislation aimed at reducing decisions that inventions are ineligible for patents and setting new limits on Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges, but approved a bill to let the patent office collect demographic data on inventors.
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November 14, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Affirms SEC's Kroger Proxy Decision
A divided Fifth Circuit on Thursday rejected a "purely theoretical" challenge brought by conservative shareholders unhappy that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission greenlighted the exclusion of a shareholder proposal from Kroger Co.'s 2023 ballot, noting that the case was moot since the company authorized a vote on the proposal anyway.
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November 14, 2024
EEOC Says Texas, Think Tank Can't Scrap Bostock Guidance
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged a federal court to shoot down Texas' challenge to workplace harassment guidance the agency issued based on the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision, arguing the state failed to demonstrate that the guidelines had caused them any harm.
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November 14, 2024
Emergency Medical Providers Oppose $2.8B BCBS Deal
A group of emergency clinic medical providers objected to the $2.8 billion settlement a broader class of medical providers reached with the Blue Cross Blue Shield network of insurers last month, as attorneys for the overall class boasted that the settlement would transform the insurers and bring historic payouts.
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November 14, 2024
Red State AGs Sue SEC Over Crypto Policy
A coalition of 18 Republican attorneys general led by Kentucky sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday for allegedly treading on the states' authority through a "regulatory landgrab" into the cryptocurrency industry.
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November 14, 2024
Webex 'Disrupters' Posing As Colo. Judges Force Tech Swap
Colorado's chief justice said Thursday that a growth in "digital court disrupters" has prompted the state judicial department to start looking for a new software platform for hosting online court hearings, saying bad actors had started posing as justices to gain admittance to virtual courtrooms.
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November 14, 2024
Broadband Groups See Ally In Incoming GOP Leader Thune
Telecom industry groups view the Senate's next majority leader, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as keenly interested in the sector's needs, but it's not yet clear what his selection could mean for specific critical issues like building out rural internet service and removing barriers to broadband deployment.
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November 14, 2024
NY Gov. Brings Back Manhattan Congestion Pricing Plan
The resurrection of New York City's plan to charge all vehicles a fee for entering Manhattan's busiest corridor demonstrates a mad dash in the final months of the Biden administration to expedite infrastructure projects perceived as political lightning rods before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
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November 14, 2024
Trump Names Solicitor General, SDNY Picks
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday he is tapping for solicitor general the lawyer who represented him before the U.S. Supreme Court and will name his former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
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November 14, 2024
DC Council Issues Housing Tax Break Emergency Resolution
The District of Columbia Council approved an emergency resolution to enact legislation to implement a competitive process for the provision of tax abatements for housing developments while a recently passed measure to permanently authorize that process faces congressional review before it becomes law.
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November 14, 2024
EPA Expands List of Solvent Risks, Targets Tire Chem Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said a chemical commonly used in solvents presents health risks to humans in more ways than had previously been stated, and said it's researching whether to regulate a chemical used in tire production that has been shown to kill salmon.
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November 14, 2024
Ga. Sheriff Accused Of Censoring Critics After Burger Scandal
A metro Atlanta sheriff elected to another four-year term last week has been sued by his vanquished Republican opponent, who alleged in Atlanta federal court that the sheriff censored comments on his office's social media accounts that were critical of his use of deputies in a flap over a burger order.
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November 14, 2024
Cherokee Nation Can't Get Ark. Casino Amendment Blocked
An Arkansas amendment that revokes the casino gaming license of a Cherokee Nation tribal entity has taken effect after a federal district court judge denied a bid to block the measure while also dismissing the state and its racing commission as defendants in the litigation.
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November 14, 2024
Trump Taps His Criminal Defense Lawyer For Deputy AG
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked his personal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as second-in-command at the U.S. Department of Justice as deputy attorney general.
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November 14, 2024
DOJ Deputy Says Biden Stance Led To Fewer Harmful Mergers
The deputy head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division offered a full-throated defense Thursday of the Biden administration's aggressive competition enforcement record, arguing, with a Republican takeover imminent, that "more demanding standards" for transaction remedies prompted real change by merging companies seeking to avoid a merger challenge.
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November 14, 2024
Notice Ruling For Mich. Claims Not Retroactive, Panel Says
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling enforcing a notice requirement for lawsuits filed against the state government does not apply retroactively to cases filed in the last few years because it "reflected a 180-degree change in the law," a Michigan Court of Appeals panel said Wednesday.
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November 14, 2024
47 AGs Support FCC's Robocall Database Reforms
A bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to implement new rules aimed at improving the effectiveness of the Robocall Mitigation Database, or RMD, writing in a comment letter that the database is "currently one of the most important sources of information available for anti-robocall enforcement actions."
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November 14, 2024
Would-Be Citizens Need Only Show Lawful Admission Once
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new policy guidance on Thursday indicating that individuals applying to become citizens only need to show that they were lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon their initial entry, regardless of any subsequent reentries.
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November 14, 2024
Gaetz's Slim Legal Resume Raises Concerns Over AG Role
Having never served as a prosecutor and with minimal experience practicing law, Matt Gaetz would have the thinnest legal resume of any attorney general in recent history and would face a steep learning curve, including daunting leadership challenges, if he were to take up the reins of the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.
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November 14, 2024
Australia Bill Seeks To Expand Rules On Reporting Ownership
Australia's government wants to fight tax avoidance by making owners of equity derivatives disclose significant owners to regulators and investors, expanding access to that information and giving securities regulators new powers to issue freezing orders for noncompliance, the Australian Treasury said Thursday.
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November 14, 2024
RNC, McCormick Say Pa. Counties Counting Ineligible Votes
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick and the Republican National Committee have filed separate lawsuits in Pennsylvania, claiming that multiple counties are improperly counting mail-in votes that state courts have previously held should have been disqualified.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners
Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Series
After Chevron: Courts Will Still Defer To Feds On Nat'l Security
Agencies with trade responsibilities may be less affected by Chevron’s demise because of the special deference courts have shown when hearing international trade cases involving national security, foreign policy or the president’s constitutional authority to direct such matters, say attorneys at Venable.
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Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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Defamation Law Changes May Be Brewing At Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court's significant rightward shift has produced dramatic changes in many areas of the law, and the long-standing "actual malice" standard protecting speech about public figures could be the next precedent to fall, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.