Public Policy

  • December 09, 2024

    NYC Council Sues Mayor For Not Enforcing Jail Abuse Ban

    The New York City Council sued Mayor Eric Adams on Monday for failing to end the use of solitary confinement in city jails after the lawmaking body passed a bill banning the practice earlier this year, arguing that his "emergency" order violated the separation of powers.

  • December 09, 2024

    Skipping Diversity Suits Lets Error 'Metastasize,' Alito Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review Boston's allegedly discriminatory COVID-19 pandemic-era admissions policy for three elite public schools, turning away the second case to challenge the use of race-neutral diversity initiatives in a decision Justice Samuel Alito claims ignores a "glaring constitutional error" and undermines the court's affirmative action decision.

  • December 08, 2024

    Trump Names His Personal Atty As Counselor

    The New Jersey-based litigator who represented Donald Trump in suits that saddled him with multimillion-dollar civil judgments will serve as his counselor when he returns to the White House, the president-elect said Sunday in announcing a new round of picks for his upcoming administration.

  • December 07, 2024

    Up Next: Environmental Reviews, Wire Fraud & TM Awards

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its final set of oral arguments for the 2024 calendar year starting Monday, including disputes over the proper scope of federal environmental reviews and whether corporate affiliates can be ordered to pay disgorgement awards in trademark infringement disputes.

  • December 06, 2024

    USDA Orders Raw Milk Be Tested For Bird Flu

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued a federal order requiring raw milk across the country to be tested as part of an effort to control and stop the spread of bird flu.

  • December 06, 2024

    CFPB Loses Bid To Unfreeze Credit Card Late Fee Rule

    A Texas federal judge Friday refused to lift a preliminary injunction blocking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule from taking effect, ruling that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade groups are likely to succeed in their challenge to the rule.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Ruling Far From Last Word On Looming TikTok Ban

    The D.C. Circuit's decision Friday paving the way for a U.S. ban on TikTok to take effect next month sparked immediate concerns about the loss of a social platform that millions rely on to freely express themselves, but a likely appeal and upcoming administration change could end up flipping the script.

  • December 06, 2024

    Ga. Man Freed After 26 Years Sues Over Bogus Murder Charge

    A Georgia man who spent more than a quarter-century in prison for murder before his name was cleared with the help of two true crime podcasters has sued the county and cops behind his arrest and prosecution alleging he was framed for the accidental death of a friend during a game of Russian roulette.

  • December 06, 2024

    Billionaires Show New Interest In Texas' Intermediate Courts

    Billionaire-backed funding in Texas helped push a wave of Republican judges who swept races for intermediate appellate courts across the state, representing a new level of corporate spending in judicial races often marked by underfunded campaigns and low voter awareness.

  • December 06, 2024

    Wash. City Says Tribe's ER Shelter Sidesteps Safety Concerns

    The city of Toppenish has told a Washington federal judge that the Yakama Nation has no right to use a local property within reservation boundaries to operate a 24-hour emergency cold weather shelter, arguing that building health and safety issues can't be sidestepped.

  • December 06, 2024

    Neb. Tribe Asks US High Court To Undo Tobacco Sales Ruling

    A Nebraska tribe's tobacco companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Eighth Circuit ruling that held the state can regulate a tribally owned manufacturer's sales of cigarettes to Indigenous-owned distributors, arguing that Native American nations' ability to conduct their own affairs within their own borders is at stake.

  • December 06, 2024

    US Ukrainian Group Wants FCC SpaceX Approvals Halted

    The FCC needs to put any decisions related to SpaceX on ice until an ethics committee can decide how to handle them now that the company's billionaire owner Elon Musk has been tapped for an oversight role in the upcoming Trump administration, the agency has been told.

  • December 06, 2024

    How Paul Atkins' Last SEC Term Might Shape Agency's Future

    President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission next year is no stranger to the agency, and Paul Atkins' past speeches, statements and actions as a commissioner may offer a road map for how he would lead the agency in areas such as private funds, shareholder activism and multibillion-dollar enforcement sweeps.

  • December 06, 2024

    High Court To Weigh $47M TM Award Liability For Non-Parties

    A trademark case before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday will delve into whether corporate affiliates of a real estate development company should be liable for an infringement judgment of nearly $47 million, even though they were not named defendants in the litigation.

  • December 06, 2024

    GEO Tells 9th Circ. Recent Ruling Backs It In Wage Fight

    Private prison contractor The GEO Group Inc. told the Ninth Circuit on Friday that a recent ruling in the same court underscores its assertion that only the federal government can say whether a minimum wage must be paid to detained immigrants participating in a voluntary work program in Tacoma, Washington. 

  • December 06, 2024

    Mich. Pot Cos. Get A Shot At Undoing Rivals' Licenses

    Two Detroit-area companies that largely lost their bids challenging a municipality's award of marijuana retail licenses to competing enterprises will get an opportunity to invalidate those permits in court, a Michigan state appeals court has ruled, finding the city violated the state's open meetings law.

  • December 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Judge Notes Inconsistencies In Medicare Rate Policy

    A Fifth Circuit judge called out inconsistencies in a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy, asking the government to explain apparent discrepancies that four Texas anesthesia practices say will cost them $4 million in reduced reimbursements.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls If EPA Can Set Rules Based On Predicted Tech

    At least one member of the D.C. Circuit did not seem to be picking up what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was putting down in defense of a rule that would give coal-fired power plants until 2032 to meet certain emissions standards that critics claim are impossible.

  • December 06, 2024

    Calif. Judge Revives H-1B Application For Biz With Pot Ties

    A California federal judge has revived a software company's application for a foreign employee's H-1B visa amendment, ruling the government was not justified in denying the application because of the company's clientele in the cannabis industry.

  • December 06, 2024

    Justices To Decide If Terror Victim Law Violates Due Process

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether a 2019 law gives courts jurisdiction over the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization or conflicts with the Fifth Amendment's due process clause.

  • December 06, 2024

    Neb. Judge Nixes Bid To Revisit Challenge To Medical Pot

    A Nebraska state judge has refused to reopen the secretary of state's challenge to medical marijuana legalization ballot initiatives, calling the motions largely "futile" in her order — teeing up a potential appeal before the state's highest court.

  • December 06, 2024

    FTC Dems Tout Impact of Handbag Merger Win

    The Federal Trade Commission's leader said a recent court ruling that led the owners of Coach and Michael Kors to abandon their planned $8.5 billion tie-up should make it easier to prove mergers hurt competition without needing to rely on expensive economic experts.

  • December 06, 2024

    Wash. Justices OK Pilot To Relax Regs For Non-Lawyers

    Washington's high court has approved a pilot program that will allow the Evergreen State to loosen rules on who can practice law, with the aim of empowering businesses and organizations not run by lawyers to innovate on providing legal services, and perhaps make them more affordable.

  • December 06, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

    The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates more than 80 times in November as they sought to sway the FCC on new rules for hyper-local FM broadcasts, making it easier to attach broadband gear to utility poles, revamping the 6 gigahertz band and more.

  • December 06, 2024

    Feds Want Full DC Circ. To Reverse Panel's NEPA Regs Ruling

    Two D.C. Circuit judges who ruled a White House agency lacks authority to issue regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act violated a cornerstone legal tenet and must be overturned, according to the federal government.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

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    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • A Look At Similarities Between SOX And SEC's Cyber Rule

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    Just as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act paved the way for greater transparency and accountability in financial reporting, the SEC's cybersecurity rule is doing much the same for cybersecurity, ensuring that companies are resilient in the face of growing cyber threats, says Padraic O'Reilly at CyberSaint.

  • Opinion

    Efficiency Dept. Should Consolidate Antitrust Enforcement

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    President-elect Donald Trump's planned Department of Government Efficiency should transfer the authority of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition into the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, because there is no justification for two federal entities to enforce antitrust and competition laws, says retired judge Susan Braden.

  • What To Expect Next From Federal Health Tech Regulation

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    Healthcare organizations should pay close attention to federal health information technology regulators' recent guidance concerning barriers to accessing electronic health information, which signals that more enforcement in this area is likely forthcoming, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

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    Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect

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    Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • 5 Areas Congress May Investigate After GOP Election Wins

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    With Republicans poised to take control of Congress in addition to the executive branch next year, private companies can expect an unprecedented uptick in congressional investigations focused on five key areas, including cryptocurrency and healthcare, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent

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    A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends

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    A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Takeaways From State Votes On Abortion In The 2024 Election

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    Attorneys at Epstein Becker discuss how 10 states voted on ballot initiatives to either protect or restrict access to abortion in the 2024 general election, and analyze overarching trends.

  • Trump's 2nd Term May Be A Boost To Banking Industry

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    President-elect Donald Trump's personnel appointments could be instrumental in reshaping the financial regulatory landscape during his second administration, likely allowing for greater merger activity and halting or undoing some of the Biden administration's more restrictive financial services policies, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

  • A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports

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    Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • How Expanded Birth Control Coverage May Affect Employers

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    Employers should consider the potential impact of recently proposed regulations that would expand group health plans' required coverage of preventive services and contraceptives, including questions about how the agencies would implement their plans to eliminate the prescription requirement and alter the exceptions process, says Jennifer Rigterink at Proskauer.

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