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Public Policy
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July 01, 2024
House GOP Sues Garland For Special Counsel Tapes
House Judiciary Committee Republicans filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday in hopes of obtaining audio tapes of President Joe Biden and his ghostwriter's interviews with special counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents investigation.
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July 01, 2024
Fla. Court Releases 2006 Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts
A Florida state court judge on Monday made public the 2006 grand jury transcripts of the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse investigation after a newspaper persuaded him to reconsider releasing them in light of a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year.
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July 01, 2024
DOL Overtime Exemptions Rule 'Likely Unlawful,' Judge Says
A U.S. Department of Labor rule that took effect Monday and raises the salary thresholds for overtime exemptions won't apply to the state of Texas for now, a Texas federal judge said, finding that the rule "is likely unlawful."
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July 01, 2024
Ga. E-Commerce Law Blocked By Federal Statute, Judge Says
A Georgia federal judge on Sunday blocked new state-level regulations on e-commerce platforms from being enforced just a day before they were set to take effect, ruling that the Peach State's planned oversight conflicts with counterparts in federal law.
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July 01, 2024
Conn. Lawmaker Says Cops Mishandled Her Sexual Assault
A Connecticut state lawmaker took the city of Hartford to federal court, alleging that its Police Department "discounted" her reports of sexual assault and subsequent injuries, and "leaked biased and skewed information" to news outlets after a man attacked her outside a prayer event officers were patrolling.
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July 01, 2024
Social Media Laws Need More Analysis, Justices Say
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday returned to the lower courts challenges to Florida and Texas laws prohibiting social media platforms from removing content or users based on viewpoint, saying that the Fifth and Eleventh circuits did not conduct the proper analysis on the facial First Amendment challenges to the laws.
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July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Gives Trump Immunity For Official Acts
Former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from prosecution related to an indefinite list of official acts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, partially releasing Donald Trump from liability for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election, but ultimately tasking lower courts with sussing out the full extent of his immunity.
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July 01, 2024
Supreme Court Widens Window To Challenge Federal Regs
Legal challenges to federal regulations can be brought outside the normal statute of limitations if someone isn't adversely affected until after the six-year window of time to file suit, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.
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July 01, 2024
EU Bans Giving Tax Consulting Services To Belarus
The European Union has introduced a ban on providing tax consulting and many other professional services to Belarus in a wide-ranging package of measures largely aimed at preventing the circumvention of the bloc's sanctions against Russia, a statement said.
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June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes
By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
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June 28, 2024
R.I. Pot Residency Rule Unconstitutional, Fla. Resident Claims
Rhode Island is hogging all the "enormous economic opportunities" associated with retail cannabis for state residents, according to a federal lawsuit filed by a Florida entrepreneur who claims the Ocean State's residency requirement is unconstitutional.
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June 28, 2024
Split SCOTX Revives Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Challenge
A split Texas Supreme Court revived a judge's lawsuit against the state judicial ethics commission over sanctions for her refusal to officiate same-sex marriages, with the majority finding the judge's claims are not barred because she did not go through the administrative process.
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June 28, 2024
Iowa's Hemp Law Could Be 'Unconstitutionally Vague'
A federal judge on Friday suggested she'd consider blocking an Iowa hemp law, set to go into effect Monday, which would impose new restrictions on THC levels and dole out criminal penalties, saying the statute "potentially raises due process concerns."
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June 28, 2024
Texas Justices Back Ban On Gender Affirming Care For Minors
The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state ban on medical treatments that affirm the gender identity of transgender youths, saying Friday that the legislature "made a permissible, rational policy choice," though a dissenting justice said the court allowed the state "to legislate away fundamental parental rights."
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June 28, 2024
Prosecution Rests In Menendez Bribery Trial
New York federal prosecutors on Friday closed out their case-in-chief that Sen. Robert Menendez accepted bribes from constituent businessmen, resting after a final witness said some $550,000 in cash seized from the senator's wife's house could not have been from his cash withdrawals in recent years, which were only $55,000.
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June 28, 2024
Citi Wants Termination Suit Over Alleged Lies To OCC Tossed
Citibank has urged a New York federal judge to toss a suit by a former managing director of the bank who claims she was fired for not reporting false information to compliance authorities, arguing that even if her claims are true, she hasn't plausibly alleged a cause of action under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
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June 28, 2024
Custodia Bank Asks 10th Circ. For Fed Master Account Win
Crypto-focused Custodia Bank has argued in an opening brief before the Tenth Circuit that it is entitled to a Federal Reserve master account and should be given approval to open one, kicking off its appeal of a Wyoming federal judge's decision that said otherwise.
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June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
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June 28, 2024
Parts Of Ga. Bond Law Blocked For Now Over 'Group' Meaning
A Georgia federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked certain provisions of a law set to take effect Monday that would make it illegal for people, charities and organizations to post more than three cash bonds in a year and require charitable bail funds to register as bonding agencies.
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June 28, 2024
Conn. Court Shouldn't Hear Anti-Dispensary Appeal, City Says
A Connecticut appeals court should not hear a case brought by an anti-cannabis organization in Stamford that is trying to undo a court-approved settlement that allowed for the opening of a dispensary, the city's Zoning Board has argued.
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June 28, 2024
FCC Subsidy Opponents File New 5th Circ. Challenge
A free-market group and others seeking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's telecom subsidy system has again filed suit in the Fifth Circuit to oppose the industry fees that fund the programs.
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June 28, 2024
PAGA Reforms Clear Calif. Assembly, Head To Newsom's Desk
California legislators in both the Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly backed big changes to California's Private Attorneys General Act, including an adjustment to how penalties are assessed to employers and awarded to employees, sending the package to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.
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June 28, 2024
Health Regulators Likely To Tread Carefully Post-Chevron
The demise of Chevron deference at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday will likely encourage or fortify challenges to agency rulemaking on matters of health policy in the U.S., from Medicare reimbursement decisions to FDA rules on laboratory-developed tests.
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June 28, 2024
USPTO Asks Public For Input On Addressing AI Deepfakes
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said Friday that it will seek public input about whether existing laws are enough to protect individuals from unauthorized artificial intelligence-created replicas of their image, voice and likeness, commonly called deepfakes.
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June 28, 2024
Shkreli Asks High Court To Toss $64M Disgorgement Order
Former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who gained notoriety for hiking the price of HIV/AIDS medication before serving more than four years in prison for securities fraud, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a disgorgement order requiring him to pay $64 million for monopolistic price-gouging.
Expert Analysis
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5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits
Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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What Junk Fee Law Means For Biz In California And Beyond
Come July 1, companies doing business in California must ensure that the price of any good or service as offered, displayed or advertised is inclusive of all mandatory fees and other charges in compliance with S.B. 478, which may have a far-reaching impact across the country due to wide applicability, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley Austin.
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.
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8 Steps Companies Should Take After An Internal Investigation
Given the U.S. Department of Justice’s increasing focus on corporate compliance and remediation of misconduct, companies must follow through in several key ways after an internal investigation to ensure history does not repeat itself, say Jonathan Aronie and Joseph Jay at Sheppard Mullin.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
US Solar Import Probe's Focus On China Is Misguided
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation focuses on the apparent Chinese ownership of solar device importers in four Southeast Asian countries — a point that is irrelevant under the controlling statute, says John Anwesen at Lighthill.
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DC Circ. Ruling Heightens HHS Contract Pharmacy Challenges
The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling that the Section 340B program does not bar manufacturers from restricting deliveries of discounted drugs to contract pharmacies represents a second strike against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' current contract pharmacy policy and raises the stakes surrounding an upcoming Seventh Circuit ruling on the same issue, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.
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Ohio Tax Talk: The Legislative Push For Property Tax Relief
As Ohio legislators attempt to alleviate the increasing property tax burden, four recent bills that could significantly affect homeowners propose to eliminate replacement property tax levies, freeze property taxes for longtime homeowners, adjust homestead exemptions annually for inflation, and temporarily expand the homestead exemption, say Raghav Agnihotri and Rachael Chamberlain at Frost Brown.
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Aviation Watch: Mostly Smooth Landing For New FAA Law
The recently signed Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act enhances air safety in several key ways, including strengthened passenger rights and cockpit voice recorder requirements, but an expansion of slot exemptions at Reagan National Airport is a notable misstep, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Series
In The CFPB Playbook: Regulatory Aims Get High Court Assist
Newly emboldened after the U.S. Supreme Court last month found that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional, the bureau has likely experienced a psychic boost, allowing its already robust enforcement agenda to continue expanding, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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NY Public Campaign Funding May Attract Scrutiny From Feds
The upcoming elections across New York this year will be the first under the state’s public campaign finance program — which may broaden federal prosecutors' purview to target state election fraud and corruption, says Jarrod Schaeffer at Abell Eskew.
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FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
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National Security And The Commercial Space Sector: Part 2
Strategy documents recently published by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Space Force confirm the importance of the commercial space sector to the DOD, but say little about achieving the institutional changes needed to integrate commercial capabilities in support of national security in space, say Jeff Chiow and Skip Smith at Greenberg Traurig.