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Public Policy
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August 27, 2024
Feds Clarify Int'l Students' Eligibility For STEM Visa Program
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its policy manual on Tuesday to clarify when international students graduating from STEM programs may be eligible for a visa allowing them to temporarily work in the U.S.
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August 27, 2024
Leave Support For Alaska Connectivity Intact, FCC Told
An Alaskan utility company told the Federal Communications Commission that rules blocking federal funds for broadband build out when there is already an unsubsidized competitor in the area might work fine on the mainland, but would be very bad for Alaska.
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August 27, 2024
Enbridge, Mich. Battle Over Immunity Order In Pipeline Fight
Enbridge Energy and Michigan are swapping barbs over whether a federal district court should defer a summary judgment ruling in favor of the company over its Line 5 pipeline or wait until the Sixth Circuit has decided the state's bid to overturn a decision that it's not immune from the litigation.
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August 27, 2024
Insurer Off The Hook For $1.8M Praying Coach Settlement
A Washington state school district's insurer doesn't have to cover a nearly $1.8 million legal fee settlement the district reached with a high school football coach whom the U.S. Supreme Court found was wrongly suspended for praying on the 50-yard line after games, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 27, 2024
2nd Circ. Urged To Reject Preemption Defense In BofA Row
The Second Circuit should join fellow federal courts in finding that a New York statute requiring all banks to pay at least 2% interest on mortgage-escrow accounts isn't preempted, a former Bank of America mortgage customer has told the appeals court following the U.S. Supreme Court's remand of the matter.
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August 27, 2024
Tenn. Medicaid Program Illegally Cut Off Health Coverage
Tennessee's Medicaid program violated the Medicaid Act, the 14th Amendment and the Americans With Disabilities Act by depriving residents of healthcare coverage, a federal judge has ruled, saying the agency was "lethargic in its response and attempts" to fix an eligibility system replete with issues.
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August 27, 2024
Judges Upend Alaska Airlines Loss, Blame Jury Instruction
A Washington state appeals court on Tuesday threw out a jury verdict granting an Alaska Airlines flight attendant workers' compensation for catching COVID-19 while away from home for her job, in an opinion that said a jury instruction misstated a legal doctrine covering traveling workers.
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August 27, 2024
Colo. House Advances Further Cuts To Property Tax Rates
The Colorado House advanced legislation Tuesday to limit property tax growth, a move supporters hope will also stave off a pair of ballot initiatives that critics say would devastate schools and other local services.
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August 27, 2024
Tour Bus Merger Claims Can't Save Antitrust Suit Redux
Claiming a partnership between its rivals amounted to an anticompetitive merger wasn't enough Tuesday to save a New York City tour bus operator's second attempt at antitrust allegations that they locked it out of deals with key tourist destinations.
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August 27, 2024
Immigration Orgs Slam DHS' 'Tired Contentions' Over Asylum
Immigration rights groups and asylum-seekers countered the Biden administration's "tired contentions" that new asylum restrictions at the southern border comport with federal immigration law, telling a D.C. federal judge that the policy is an attempted end-run around the law.
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August 27, 2024
Mich. Says Discovery Won't Save Dam Collapse Suits
The state of Michigan has urged a judge to cut off discovery and end litigation over flooding caused by the collapse of the Edenville Dam, arguing that continuing to exchange information would be fruitless because it's already clear that the state didn't cause the disaster.
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August 27, 2024
Rescheduling Pot Unlikely To Fix Banking Issues, Report Says
A pending proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana is unlikely, on its own, to make it easier for state-regulated cannabis businesses to access financial services available to other industries, according to a recent report published by Capitol Hill's policy research arm.
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August 27, 2024
5th Circ. Holds Mandate In Subsidy Suit During FCC Appeal
The Fifth Circuit has agreed to let the current subsidy for telecom services remain in place while the Federal Communications Commission seeks U.S. Supreme Court review of a ruling that upended the subsidy system.
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August 27, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Revives Tesla's Case Over La. Sales Ban
A split Fifth Circuit panel revived Tesla's case accusing Louisiana car dealers and regulators of illegally excluding the direct-sale automaker from the state, finding Tesla had done enough to survive dismissal by alleging a regulatory board that included competitors is biased against it.
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August 27, 2024
CPSC Suit 'Makes A Mockery' Of Standing, SG Tells Justices
The federal government is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on a "highly artificial suit" that seeks to unravel removal protections for commissioners on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, saying the groups behind the suit have no standing to pursue the legal challenge.
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August 27, 2024
Trump-Linked Group Says OPM Delaying Union Comms Bid
The Office of Personnel Management has delayed its response to information bids about agency communications with public sector unions, an organization led by former Trump administration officials alleged in Texas federal court, calling for an order to require the disclosure of requested details.
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August 27, 2024
6th Circ. Affirms HHS' Denial Of Title X Funds To Tenn.
The Sixth Circuit has upheld the Biden administration's authority to end a family-planning grant awarded to Tennessee after the state refused to offer abortion referrals, saying the state knew the rules when it accepted the grant.
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August 27, 2024
Treasury Asked To Scrap Stock Buyback Tax's Funding Rule
Business groups urged the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday to remove what's known as the funding rule in forthcoming final regulations on the stock buyback tax, saying the provision would go beyond Congress' intentions for the levy, which aims to deter companies from giving outsize rewards to shareholders.
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August 27, 2024
Broadcaster Settles With FCC For $8K Over Stock Transfers
An Arkansas radio broadcaster will pay an $8,000 fine to settle a Federal Communications Commission probe into unauthorized changes in control of the company's stock that occurred over two years.
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August 27, 2024
FCC Urged To Include Streetlight Poles In Deployment Regs
It's time for the Federal Communications Commission to clarify that streetlight poles are utility poles as far as the Communications Act's mandates on pole attachments are concerned, a trade group and the country's biggest mobile companies have teamed up to tell the agency.
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August 27, 2024
Randy Mastro, Gibson Dunn In Arbitration Over Departure
Trial lawyer Randy Mastro is locked in closed-door arbitration with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP over the terms of his 2022 departure for King & Spalding LLP, the litigator revealed Tuesday as part of his controversial nomination to serve as New York City's top lawyer.
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August 27, 2024
DC Grand Jury Returns New Trump Indictment In Jan. 6 Case
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday returned a superseding indictment accusing Donald Trump of conspiring to subvert the results of the 2020 election, maintaining the same four criminal counts contained in the original indictment after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that former presidents possess immunity from prosecution related to official acts.
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August 27, 2024
3rd Circ. Axes Kavanaugh Classmate's HuffPo Defamation Suit
A lower court was right to nix a defamation lawsuit by a former classmate of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh against The Huffington Post because the suit is time-barred no matter which state's law governs it, the Third Circuit ruled Tuesday.
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August 27, 2024
Top Trial Atty Engages Critics Of His NYC Counsel Nomination
Renowned trial lawyer Randy Mastro of King & Spalding LLP has pledged to work for New York City in a "truly innovative and transformative" way as city council members challenged his record during a Tuesday nomination hearing that came one month after Mayor Eric Adams chose him to serve as corporation counsel over the objection of some city leaders.
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August 27, 2024
NY-Licensed Atty Tells Appeals Court NC Bar Can't Touch Him
An immigration attorney has told the North Carolina Court of Appeals he can't be disciplined in a state where he was never licensed, saying the state bar's decision to disbar him should be reversed.
Expert Analysis
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Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions
Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Series
After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB
While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.
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PE Firms Should Prepare For Increased False Claims Scrutiny
The impact private equity firms may have over medical decisions and care is increasingly attracting potential liability under the False Claims Act and attention from states and the federal government, so investors should follow best practices including conducting due diligence both before and after acquisitions, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Series
After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
Unclear Intellectual Property Laws Are Stifling US Innovation
U.S. intellectual property law’s lack of predictability means far less job-creating investments for companies that need patent protection to compete, and Congress must step in with legislation like the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to help address the problem, says Michael Gulliford at Soryn IP Capital Management.
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Pros And Cons Of 2025 NDAA's Space Contracting Proposal
The introduction of a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve fleet in the pending 2025 National Defense Authorization Act presents a significant opportunity for space and satellite companies — despite outstanding questions, and potential risks, for operators, say attorneys at Wiley.
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How 3rd Circ. Raised Bar For Constitutional Case Injunctions
The Third Circuit's decision in Delaware State Sportsmen's Association v. Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security, rejecting the relaxed preliminary injunction standards many courts have used when plaintiffs allege constitutional harms, could portend a shift in such cases in at least four ways, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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New Russia Sanctions Law: Bank Compliance Insights
Financial institutions must familiarize themselves with the new reporting obligations imposed by the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, a recent law that authorizes seizures of Russian sovereign assets under U.S. jurisdiction, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.
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Opinion
Dreamer Green Card Updates Offer Too Little For Too Few
Despite the Biden administration’s good intentions in announcing a new pathway for college-educated Dreamers to receive green cards, the initiative ultimately does little to improve the status quo for most beneficiaries, and could even leave applicants in a worse position, says Adam Moses at Harris Beach.
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3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways
Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.
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Opinion
Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap
Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
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How Loper Bright Weakens NEPA Enviro Justice Strategy
The National Environmental Policy Act is central to the Biden administration's environmental justice agenda — but the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo casts doubt on the government's ability to rely on NEPA for this purpose, and a pending federal case will test the strategy's limits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch
The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.
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Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks
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.
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Opinion
Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis
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.