Public Policy

  • December 06, 2024

    Huizar's Big Brother Avoids Jail In LA City Hall Bribery Case

    The older brother of former Los Angeles City Councilor José Huizar on Friday avoided prison for lying to investigators about his role laundering bribes for the disgraced politician, with a California federal judge crediting the defendant's cooperation after he "finally decided to tell the truth."

  • December 06, 2024

    NYC Council OKs Mayor's Affordable Housing Plan

    The New York City Council passed a package of zoning reforms designed to spur housing production, greenlighting Mayor Eric Adams' City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan after the city and state agreed to earmark $5 billion in funding to accompany the zoning overhaul.

  • December 06, 2024

    Ex-City Officials In California Cop To Cannabis Permit Bribes

    Two former officials of Los Angeles County cities have pled guilty to bribing another local politician in an attempt to influence his votes for cannabis dispensary permits.

  • December 06, 2024

    NC Lt. Gov. Fights Porn Store Clerk's Exit From Defamation Suit

    North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has hit back at a former porn store clerk's dismissal bid in his defamation suit that includes CNN, saying the motion is based on a bogus pleading violation under state court procedures even though the suit is now before a federal judge.

  • December 06, 2024

    Feds, NC Insurance Mogul Want Grier Wright On $2B Liquidation

    Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg and federal prosecutors have come together to ask a North Carolina federal judge to appoint an attorney from Grier Wright Martinez PA to serve as special master for liquidating Lindberg's billions in assets as restitution for his $2 billion fraud scheme.

  • December 06, 2024

    FDIC Asked Banks To 'Pause' Crypto Activity, Letters Show

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. directed some financial institutions to pause cryptocurrency-related activity while the agency evaluated regulatory concerns with the services, according to letters made public Friday in response to a suit a research consultancy filed on behalf of the crypto exchange Coinbase Global Inc.

  • December 06, 2024

    Senate OKs Bill To Ease SEC Reporting Regs On Rural Telcos

    The Senate has unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to expand access to broadband in rural areas by reducing the "red tape" on smaller broadband providers.

  • December 06, 2024

    AI Hype Won't Wash With Canadian Securities Regulators

    The Canadian Securities Administration is warning market participants against hyping ties to artificial intelligence in order to drum up interest for investments — a practice called "AI washing" — as the agency invites public comment before crafting AI-focused regulations.

  • December 06, 2024

    Off The Bench: Kyrie Irving Sued, Golf's New Transgender Ban

    In this week's Off The Bench, the New York Knicks and Rangers sue the unknown masses of people selling counterfeit team gear, a therapist who put on a family retreat for Kyrie Irving sues him over the bill, and two major golf organizations block transgender players from women's tournaments.

  • December 06, 2024

    Gov't Appeals Texas Judge's Block On Anti-Laundering Law

    The U.S. government has appealed a Texas federal judge's order that halted the rollout of new reporting requirements aimed at unmasking anonymous shell companies, setting the stage for the Fifth Circuit to weigh in on the nationwide preliminary injunction.

  • December 06, 2024

    1st Circ. Affirms Mass. Wind Energy Permits

    A three-judge First Circuit panel rejected a pair of fishing industry challenges to environmental permits for the massive — and now paused — Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.

  • December 06, 2024

    Canada's Chinese Import Surtaxes Expected To Raise $334M

    Canada's new surtaxes on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products are estimated to generate CA$473 million ($334 million) over the next five years, though the EV surtax on its own is likely to cause a dip in revenue, a government analysis said.

  • December 06, 2024

    EU Finalizes Deal With South American Trade Bloc

    After 25 years of negotiations, and five years after a deal was initially struck, the European Union finalized a sweeping trade accord with the South American trading bloc Mercosur Friday, but is likely to face stiff headwinds from European farmers.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Won't Revisit Retroactive FARA Registration

    The D.C. Circuit rejected a bid asking the en banc court to reconsider a panel ruling that bars the federal government from suing to compel former foreign agents to retroactively register their onetime foreign influence.

  • December 06, 2024

    Boston City Councilor Indicted In Bonus Kickback Scheme

    A Boston city councilor stole thousands of dollars in public funds through a bonus kickback scheme she orchestrated with a relative she hired to work in her office, federal prosecutors said Friday.

  • December 06, 2024

    Trump Adds Border Hardliners To Homeland Security Team

    President-elect Donald Trump rolled out three more picks to staff his homeland security team whose backgrounds indicate the incoming administration is poised to proceed apace with its planned border crackdown.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Upholds TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld a federal law giving TikTok until January to cut ties with its Chinese parent company or face a ban in the U.S., ruling that the statute survives constitutional scrutiny.

  • December 05, 2024

    Trump Taps Musk Ally David Sacks As 'AI & Crypto Czar'

    President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected David O. Sacks, a tech investor who worked alongside Elon Musk and entrepreneur Peter Thiel in the early days of PayPal, to be the newly created "White House AI & Crypto Czar."

  • December 05, 2024

    Internet Archive Won't Take E-Book Fair Use To Justices

    The Internet Archive on Wednesday said it will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether its practice of distributing copyrighted e-books for free without permission from some of the world's biggest publishers is excused by the Copyright Act's fair use doctrine.

  • December 05, 2024

    Feds Defend Asylum Rule And 'Manifestation' Standard

    The Biden administration on Wednesday defended its recent rule curtailing asylum at the southern border, telling a D.C. federal court that it acted reasonably in putting the "onus" on noncitizens to express a fear of persecution or torture.

  • December 05, 2024

    Texas Lt. Gov. Wants Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products

    Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has unveiled legislation that looks to ban all forms of consumable THC, including hemp products that "might include unremovable, nonintoxicating trace amounts of delta-9 THC."

  • December 05, 2024

    Ally Visa Seekers Say Feds Are Trying To Add Delay To Delay

    A certified class of Afghans and Iraqis who aided U.S. troops and are waiting for the government to process their already unreasonably delayed special immigrant visas told a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday the government shouldn't be able to add even more time to the plan to deliver their visas.

  • December 05, 2024

    Rocket Mortgage Sues HUD, Hits Back At DOJ Race Bias Suit

    Rocket Mortgage, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, has punched back against housing discrimination claims brought by the U.S. government, countersuing in Colorado federal court to challenge what it argues are "conflicting and irreconcilable" mandates at play.

  • December 05, 2024

    Frontier Pays $3.5M To End Calif. AG's Illegal Dumping Probe

    The California subsidiary of telecom company Frontier Communications will pay $3.5 million to end an investigation into the improper disposal of batteries, aerosol cans and other hazardous waste at warehouses and field service facilities dating back to 2008, the Golden State's attorney general announced Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    CFTC Flags AI Compliance Obligations In New Advisory

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday issued a staff advisory outlining its registrants' compliance obligations under the Commodity Exchange Act regarding the myriad of ways they may be using artificial intelligence, with the agency's chair painting the guidance as a first step ahead of potential policies.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Unpacking CFPB's Unwieldy Buy Now, Pay Later Guidance

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    Both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent interpretive rule regarding buy now, pay later transactions, and its FAQ guidance, place providers in murky waters with the unenviable position of attempting to place a square, closed-end product in a round, regulatory framework meant for open-end products, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

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