Public Policy

  • December 05, 2024

    NC Town Sues Duke Energy Over Climate Change 'Deception'

    A small town in North Carolina is suing Duke Energy for what officials characterized as a decades-long "deception campaign" about climate change, including allegedly misleading residents about the dangerous effects of fossil fuels and delaying the transition to cleaner energy.

  • December 05, 2024

    Detroit Needs More Evidence In Census Row, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge gave the city of Detroit another chance Thursday to prove the U.S. Census Bureau undercounted the city's population and negatively impacted its federal funding, telling the city it wouldn't have standing to sue the federal government without such evidence.

  • December 05, 2024

    Migrants Told 'Asylum No Longer Exists,' Report Says

    U.S. border agents are mistreating asylum-seeking families under President Joe Biden's June border restrictions, denying them access to asylum and returning them to Mexico in violation of domestic and international law, Human Rights Watch said Thursday in a new report.

  • December 05, 2024

    US Trade Gap Fell By $10B In Oct. As Imports And Exports Dipped

    The United States' trade deficit for goods and services trade dropped $10 billion from September to October, with imports decreasing more than exports, according to a Bureau of Economic Analysis report released Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    Sens. Urge DOD To Beef Up Telecom Security After Cyberattack

    The U.S. Department of Defense may not be doing enough to protect unclassified information from being intercepted by foreign spies, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators have said.

  • December 05, 2024

    NCAA's NIL Settlement 'Illegal' In Many States, Lawmakers Say

    The National Collegiate Athletic Association's $2.78 billion settlement with athletes over name, image and likeness compensation, now awaiting final court approval, would be "illegal" in several states because of their current NIL laws, a group of current and former lawmakers said Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    Charter Settles For $1.1M After FCC Emergency Alert Probe

    Charter has agreed to pay $1.1 million to end an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into whether the cable giant failed to properly keep emergency alert devices online during an FCC test of the system last fall.

  • December 05, 2024

    Covington Helps Take Calif. Court Reporter Shortage To Court

    Covington & Burling LLP is among the counsel for groups petitioning the California Supreme Court to address the state's court reporter shortage by mandating the use of electronic recording when court reporters are unavailable.

  • December 05, 2024

    Boies Tells 1st Circ. Cannabis Precedent Is Outdated

    The premises undergirding a 19-year-old U.S. Supreme Court precedent on cannabis policy have changed so dramatically in the intervening years that its holdings no longer apply to the current marijuana landscape, litigator David Boies told a First Circuit panel during oral arguments Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    Carriers Must Shield Networks From Attacks, FCC Chair Says

    The head of the Federal Communications Commission called Thursday for "urgent action" from U.S. telecom carriers to protect their networks in the wake of the recent Salt Typhoon cyberattack, and said the agency could soon rule that telecoms are affirmatively required under law to try to prevent such intrusions.

  • December 05, 2024

    Ga. Judge Tosses GOP Election Suit Against Fulton County

    A Georgia state court judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to make Fulton County hire Republican poll workers for last month's general election because the plaintiffs failed to show at a court appearance earlier this week.

  • December 05, 2024

    Disgruntled Dems Move On From Appellate Noms Deal

    While some Democrats have gripes about the deal Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made with Republicans before Thanksgiving on judicial confirmations, they grudgingly concede the deal helps them fill as many seats as possible even if it means leaving choice circuit seats for President-elect Donald Trump to fill.

  • December 05, 2024

    Sentencing Judge Wants Jail Healthcare Info In Threats Case

    Saying he needed additional briefs on mental health treatments in federal prisons, a Connecticut federal judge on Thursday postponed sentencing a man who pled guilty to mailing more than 150 threatening letters to U.S. Supreme Court justices, state and federal judges, other officials and journalists.

  • December 05, 2024

    Police Commissioners Want Officers' Withheld OT Suit Tossed

    Current and former Philadelphia Police Department commissioners and human resources directors urged a Pennsylvania federal court to throw out a proposed class action by ranking officers alleging that the department failed to alert them of their overtime eligibility, saying the case was brought too late.

  • December 05, 2024

    Feds Invest $849M For Water Infrastructure Improvements

    An $849 million investment from the Biden administration will support 77 water infrastructure development projects throughout the country's western states and tribal communities that are located along major river basins in an effort to restore canal capacity, sustain treatment, replace aging hydropower production equipment and provide maintenance to older project buildings.

  • December 05, 2024

    Airbnb Customers Drop 'Assistance Fee' Suit Against Insurers

    A proposed class of Airbnb customers permanently dropped a suit accusing two of the company's insurance providers of violating Washington state law by charging an "assistance fee" when selling travel coverage.

  • December 05, 2024

    Senate Confirms New Mexico Prosecutor To Federal Bench

    The Senate voted 52-45 on Thursday to confirm Sarah Davenport, an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico, as district judge.

  • December 05, 2024

    Ariz. Parcel's Improvements Have No Value, Tax Court Says

    The improvements to an industrial parcel in Arizona have no value, the state tax court ruled, agreeing with the owner that a county assessor's valuation of the property was excessive.

  • December 05, 2024

    DEI Provision Dooms Boeing's 737 Max Plea Deal

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday rejected Boeing's plea agreement in its 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, finding flaws in how the U.S. Department of Justice intended to use race and diversity to select an independent compliance monitor to oversee Boeing, and how the court was cut out of that process.

  • December 04, 2024

    Trump Taps Ex-Sen. Loeffler For SBA, Fiserv CEO For SSA

    President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia, to lead the Small Business Administration and Fiserv Inc. CEO Frank Bisignano to serve as Social Security Administration commissioner, according to announcements made Wednesday.

  • December 04, 2024

    Target Can't Escape Investors' Pride Month Merch Suit

    Target Corp. cannot escape claims alleging customer backlash over its 2023 LGBTQ-focused marketing campaign caused the retail giant's sales and stock price to decline, a Florida federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding that the investors have plausibly pled Target made misleading warnings about the risk of customer boycotts.

  • December 04, 2024

    Rep. Hill Vows To Tackle Crypto 'De-Banking' In Next Congress

    Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle plan to investigate alleged government efforts to cut off cryptocurrency businesses from the traditional banking system, Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said Wednesday during a House Financial Services Committee hearing that also saw its retiring chair feted with a celebration of bow ties.

  • December 04, 2024

    Separated Migrants Say ICE Contractor Can't Claim Immunity

    A father and son seeking to hold transportation services provider MVM Inc. responsible for its role in a Trump-era policy that separated them and thousands of other immigrant family members are hitting back against the company's bid to duck their class action claims.

  • December 04, 2024

    Some Religious Gathering Limits Are OK, Texas Justices Told

    The city of San Antonio hit back Wednesday at Native American church members' reliance on a Texas constitutional amendment banning limitations on religious services, telling the Texas Supreme Court that the amendment must be viewed in the context of COVID-19 restrictions.

  • December 04, 2024

    Fla. Ex-Rep Sues Associate Connected To Foreign Agent Case

    A former Florida congressman has sued an associate in Miami-Dade County over a breach of contract, alleging that he disclosed a confidential legal memorandum to law enforcement officials and others in connection to a federal indictment charging the ex-lawmaker with unlawfully lobbying on behalf of Venezuela.

Expert Analysis

  • What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector

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    Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Preserving The FCA Is Crucial In Trump's 2nd Term

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    While the Trump administration may pursue weaker False Claims Act enforcement, it remains an essential tool in safeguarding public funds and maintaining corporate accountability, so now is not the time to undermine ethical behavior, or reduce protections and incentives for whistleblowers, says Adam Pollock at Pollock Cohen.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • High Court 'Violent Crimes' Case Tangled Up In Hypotheticals

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    In Delligatti v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on whether attempted murder constitutes a crime of violence, and because the court’s interpretive approach thus far has relied on hairsplitting legal hypotheticals with absurd results, Congress should repeal the underlying statute, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • Dissecting New Circuit Split Over SEC's Proxy Adviser Rule

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    The Sixth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's partial rescission of enhanced conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for proxy voting advice businesses, creating a circuit split over broader questions concerning the standard for assessing the legality of agency actions in general, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Tracking The Slow Movement Of AI Copyright Cases

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    The tech community may be expecting a prompt resolution on whether products generated by artificial intelligence are a fair use of copyrighted works, but legal history shows that a response to this question — at the heart of over 30 pending cases — will take years, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

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    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Call For Input Shows How Banks, Fintechs Can Address Risks

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    A recent request for information by federal banking regulators suggests that watchdogs are zeroing in on the bank-fintech partnerships they have long perceived as risky to consumers, but analyzing the publication can help companies anticipate regulators’ chief concerns and take steps to avoid becoming enforcement targets, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic

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    Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • NYC Hotel Licensing Law's Costs May Outweigh Its Benefits

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    A hotel licensing bill recently approved by New York's City Council could lead to the loss of many nonunionized hotels that cannot afford to comply, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • The Unfolding Potential of Green Hydrogen In Brazil

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    A new federal law in Brazil establishing a legal framework for hydrogen development is the country's latest step toward creating a favorable environment for green hydrogen production, but significant challenges — including high production costs, technological hurdles and a lack of infrastructure — remain, says David Andrew Taylor at Almeida Advogados.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How New OCC Priorities Will Affect Bank Compliance

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    With the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently releasing a new bank supervision plan for fiscal year 2025, all banks, not only those primarily supervised by the OCC, should consider how compliance with its guidelines creates opportunities and challenges, says Andrew Karp at Cadwalader.

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