Public Policy

  • December 10, 2024

    NLRB Judge Protections Get Ax In Constitutional Challenge

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday sided with a Massachusetts hospital in its challenge to National Labor Relations Board judges' job protections, saying the board's judges must be removable at will, but stopping short of holding that their protections are a basis for blocking cases they're currently hearing.

  • December 10, 2024

    High Court Bars Judicial Review Of Revoked Visa Petitions

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday held that revocations of previously approved visa petitions cannot be appealed in federal courts because they are discretionary agency decisions that are not subject to judicial review.

  • December 09, 2024

    Calif. Floats Requiring Social Media Warning Labels

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday introduced a bill that would require a "black box warning" to be displayed on social media platforms to remind users of the risks of prolonged social media use, citing research linking children's and teens' use to health harms like depression.

  • December 09, 2024

    Feds Cite 9th Circ. In Bid To End Texas' Migrant Transit Law

    The Biden administration and immigrant advocacy groups told a Texas federal court that a recent Ninth Circuit decision backed their bid to strike down a Texas executive order allowing state officers to pull over drivers suspected of transporting unauthorized migrants.

  • December 09, 2024

    CFPB Eyes Credit Reporting Rule To Address 'Coerced Debt'

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday that it is looking into new credit reporting safeguards for consumers who have experienced domestic violence or other abuse, launching a rulemaking push that will carry into the next Trump administration.

  • December 09, 2024

    High Court Again Weighs Reach Of Federal Fraud Statutes

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grappled with the question of whether using deceptive means to induce a business transaction with no contemplation of causing economic loss constitutes mail or wire fraud, the latest challenge in a line of cases that seeks to narrow the reach of federal fraud statutes.

  • December 09, 2024

    ​4th Circ. Joins Anti-Garamond Train As Typeface Loses Steam

    Note from the federal appellate bench in Virginia's capital city on Monday: When attorneys correspond, judges in Richmond want Garamond to be gone — they think the typeface is small and wan, so please find another one, such as Times New Roman.

  • December 09, 2024

    Boeing Supplier Wins Bid To Block Texas Biz Records Inquiry

     A Texas federal judge on Monday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation granting Spirit AeroSystems Inc.'s bid to permanently enjoin a Texas statute requiring businesses to immediately comply with the state's demand to examine business records.

  • December 09, 2024

    Bill Aiding Not-So-Small Patent Applicants Advances

    A federal measure that would allow patent applicants to avoid financial penalties for incorrectly seeking reduced fees for small applicants has made its way to President Joe Biden's desk.

  • December 09, 2024

    $82.5M Cheerleading Antitrust Deal, Atty Fee Gets Final OK

    A Tennessee federal judge has granted final approval of an $82.5 million settlement between parents and Varsity Brands in a lawsuit that accused the apparel company of stifling competition and inflating prices, and also allowed $35 million of the award to pay for class counsel's fees.

  • December 09, 2024

    Vail Resorts Says Colo. District Can't Escape Debt Deal

    A Colorado special district seeking to revive a lawsuit challenging an intergovernmental agreement from the early 2000s is only trying to avoid repaying millions of dollars in debt, Vail Resorts and another special district told a state appellate court.

  • December 09, 2024

    Key House Dem Thinks Biden Will Veto Bill To Add Judges

    The House is poised to vote on a bipartisan bill to add the much-sought additional judgeships, but President Joe Biden's support is in question.

  • December 09, 2024

    Cops Can Search Car Over Raw Cannabis Odor, Ill. Justices Say

    Illinois police can establish probable cause to search a vehicle based on the smell of raw cannabis alone, the state's highest court has ruled, saying that despite cannabis's legal status in the state, motorists face "stringent" rules when it comes to transporting it in cars.

  • December 09, 2024

    19 Republican AGs Win Order Against DACA Health Coverage

    Nineteen states secured an order on Monday that bars the federal government from requiring them to comply with a regulation that extends federal health coverage to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children without authorization, blocking enforcement of a Biden administration rule.

  • December 09, 2024

    RealPage Says DOJ's Ended Multifamily Rental Criminal Probe

    RealPage said the U.S. Department of Justice had ended a criminal probe into the multifamily rental housing industry's pricing practices, adding that the algorithmic pricing company was never identified as an investigation target.

  • December 09, 2024

    What's Next After Boeing 737 Max Deal Snags On DEI Clause

    A Texas federal judge's recent rejection of Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice underscores the increasing vulnerability of corporate and government diversity, equity and inclusion policies, experts say, spelling fresh complications for the embattled American aerospace titan and the legal saga over its 737 Max jets.

  • December 09, 2024

    Biden Proclaims 1st Indian Boarding School A National Monument

    President Joe Biden on Monday issued a proclamation declaring the first Indian boarding school a national monument, saying that giving the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, site the designation will help to ensure that a shameful era of American history is never forgotten or repeated.

  • December 09, 2024

    With Ga. Judge, Biden Names Most Black Women To Bench

    The Senate voted 48-44 on Monday evening to confirm Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany R. Johnson as a district judge for the Northern District of Georgia, making her the 40th Black woman confirmed to a lifetime federal judgeship under President Joe Biden.

  • December 09, 2024

    10th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Atty's Racing Expense Deductions

    The Tenth Circuit affirmed Monday the U.S. Tax Court's determination that a Denver personal injury lawyer shouldn't be allowed to deduct about $300,000 for his car racing-related costs as advertising, despite his claims that his races helped him drum up business.

  • December 09, 2024

    Judge Eyes Far Less Trial Time In Meta Case Than FTC Wants

    The Federal Trade Commission likely has to cram much more trial in much less time than it had planned after a D.C. federal judge suggested Monday that the agency's social media monopolization case against Meta Platforms Inc. can't go much past the first week of June 2025.

  • December 09, 2024

    LendingTree Pushes FCC Again To Rework Lead Consent Rule

    Loan marketer LendingTree is making one more effort to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to trim the scope of its lead generation consent rule in hopes of seeing changes before the regulations take effect in January.

  • December 09, 2024

    Amazon Says FTC Lacks Authority To Bring Antitrust Case

    Amazon has told a Washington federal court that the Federal Trade Commission is overstepping its authority by bringing its antitrust case directly in court without pursuing an in-house case targeting the e-commerce giant's treatment of sellers on its platform.

  • December 09, 2024

    2nd Circ. Mulls If DirecTV Has Standing In Retransmission Fight

    The Second Circuit is set to decide whether DirecTV's refusal to ink retransmission deals with two companies that it says were illegally collaborating with Nexstar Media Group means that it doesn't have injury to bring an antitrust suit accusing the companies of trying to fix prices.

  • December 09, 2024

    DC Circ. Unsure Of Wading Into FERC Grid Plan Fight

    D.C. Circuit judges appeared reluctant on Monday to entertain the legality of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 2023 rejection of a grid operator's plan to manage certain transmission project costs, given that the agency later approved related projects in May.

  • December 09, 2024

    Colo. Litigants Can Use Open Records Law, Justices Rule

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday decided that litigants suing government entities are entitled to use the state's public records law to obtain documents, siding with serial pro se public records attorney Matt Roane in his bid to obtain documents connected to his 2020 lawsuit against a county over alleged open meetings violations.

Expert Analysis

  • 'Reverse Redlining' Suit Reveals Language Risks For Lenders

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    The Justice Department's case against consumer finance provider Colony Ridge highlights the government's focus on lending to consumers with limited English proficiency and the risks of generating marketing materials in other languages while conducting actual transactions in English, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Trump Patent Policy May Be Headed In Unexpected Direction

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    While commentators have assumed that the patent policy of President-elect Donald Trump's second administration will largely mirror the pro-patent policy of his first, these predictions fail to take into account the likely oversized influence of Elon Musk, says Jorge Contreras at the University of Utah.

  • NLRB One-Two Punch Curbs Employer Anti-Organizing Tools

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    The National Labor Relations Board’s recent decisions in Siren Retail and Amazon, limiting employer speech about the impact of unionization and outlawing captive audience meetings, severely curtail employers' arsenal of tools to combat an organizing campaign — though this may soon change under a new administration, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content

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    Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.

  • Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws

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    Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.

  • What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration

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    Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.

  • Takeaways From Final Regulations For China Investment Ban

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    ​The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s final rule banning U.S. investment in emerging Chinese technology clarifies some key requirements, includes additional exceptions for covered transactions and attempts to address concerns that the rule will put U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Compliance Considerations Of DOJ Data Security Rule

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    Under the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule aiming to prevent certain countries' access to bulk U.S. sensitive personal data, companies must ensure their vendor, employment and investment agreements meet strict new data security requirements — or determine whether such contracts are worth the cost of compliance, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin

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    The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • AI Monitoring And FCRA: Employer Compliance Essentials

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission signal determination to treat AI-based workplace surveillance as a potential Fair Credit Reporting Act issue, employers must commit to educating HR and compliance staff on these quickly evolving regulatory expectations, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • How D&O Coverage Can Aid Against Increased AI Scrutiny

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    The recent increase in regulatory enforcement and securities class actions stemming from corporate use of artificial intelligence should prompt companies to ensure that their directors and officers liability insurance coverage is appropriately tailored to AI-related risks, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records

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    Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.

  • Crypto Cos. Add New Play In Their Offense Against SEC

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    Consensys and Crypto.com have adopted a novel strategy of preempting U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions by moving to crypto-friendly Texas and filing declaratory lawsuits challenging the SEC's jurisdiction to regulate crypto-assets — an aggressive approach that may pay off, say attorneys at Herrick Feinstein.

  • FTC Focus: Zeroing In On Post-Election Labor Markets

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    The presidential election and the push-and-pull of the administrative state's reach are likely to affect the Federal Trade Commission's focus on labor markets, including the tenor of noncompete rule enforcement, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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