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Public Policy
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February 12, 2025
Trump's Federal Worker Resignation Offer Gets Green Light
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday lifted an order temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's federal worker "deferred resignation" offer and allowed it to proceed, ruling that unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers don't have standing to challenge the directive.
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February 12, 2025
8th Circ. Vacates Ruling In Minn. Tribal Reservation Dispute
An Eighth Circuit panel on Wednesday remanded a dispute between a Minnesota tribe and Mille Lacs County officials to a federal district court with instructions to vacate, saying a recently amended state law upholds a 19th-century treaty that gives unqualified law enforcement jurisdiction to the tribe over its reservation's boundaries.
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February 12, 2025
Republican Senators Float Ending EV Tax Credits
Republican lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled a bill that would end electric vehicle and charging station tax credits that they dubbed "reckless."
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February 12, 2025
OpenAI Says Musk Takeover Bid 'Exposes' Intent Behind Suit
OpenAI on Thursday told a California federal judge overseeing Elon Musk's lawsuit seeking to block OpenAI from becoming a for-profit enterprise that the Tesla founder has proposed acquiring OpenAI's business, saying the takeover effort reveals Musk's lawsuit to be "an improper bid to undermine a competitor."
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February 12, 2025
Arkansas Looks To Dismiss Cherokee Gambling License Suit
Arkansas has urged a federal court to toss the latest version of a casino licensing suit by two Cherokee Nation businesses, arguing that they don't have the right to sue the state and that the court has already dismissed the state and its governor as defendants.
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February 12, 2025
VA Blocked From Quickly Appealing Systemic Racism Suit
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cannot immediately appeal a Connecticut federal judge's refusal to slap down a lawsuit alleging systemic discrimination at VA hospitals because the case does not present novel issues requiring midstream clarification, the same judge who advanced the case last March has ruled.
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February 12, 2025
SEC Rescinds Stricter Gensler-Era Proxy Exclusion Guidance
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday rescinded Biden-era guidelines around excluding certain shareholder proposals from proxy statements, reverting the agency's posture to an era that was generally more receptive to companies seeking such exclusions.
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February 12, 2025
Bondi Says NY Failed To Enforce Feds' Immigration Policies
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice is suing New York over its Green Light Law, which she claims prevents law enforcement officers from doing their jobs.
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February 12, 2025
Unions Beef Up Suit To Keep DOGE Out Of Federal Agencies
Unions and nonprofits seeking to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the U.S. Department of Labor's data have enhanced their injunction request, looking also to shield the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's and Department of Health and Human Services' data and prove they have standing to sue.
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February 12, 2025
DOJ Removes For-Cause Protection For FTC, Other Agencies
The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that for-cause removals for members of the Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission are unconstitutional, acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris informed Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., ranking Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a letter Wednesday.
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February 12, 2025
Trump's Trans Sports Ban Challenged In New Hampshire Suit
President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender individuals from competing in women's sports was hit with its first court challenge Wednesday, as two New Hampshire trans teenagers added the federal government to their lawsuit challenging a similar state-level policy.
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February 12, 2025
Avangrid Unit's Counterclaim Cut From Plant Cleanup Fight
The United Illuminating Co. cannot assert a counterclaim against the commissioner of Connecticut's energy regulator as they battle over the cleanup of the defunct and polluted English Station power plant in New Haven because the utility has not overcome the state's sovereign immunity, a state court has ruled.
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February 12, 2025
OSC Sues FEMA Worker Who Skipped Trump Houses
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, whose leader President Donald Trump is attempting to fire, filed a complaint Tuesday seeking to discipline a Federal Emergency Management Agency staffer who instructed employees last fall to avoid homes with Trump campaign signs.
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February 12, 2025
FCC Chief Says Comcast To Be Probed For Supporting DEI
The FCC's new leader is going after Comcast and NBCUniversal for their efforts to be diverse and inclusive, revealing Wednesday that he had directed the agency to open an investigation into the pair of companies to ensure they aren't "promoting invidious forms of discrimination."
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February 12, 2025
OCC Departs International Network Focused On Climate Risks
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Tuesday became the latest U.S. government entity to withdraw from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, an international consortium focused on the financial sector's responses and resilience to climate change.
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February 12, 2025
Colo. Judge Tosses Online Fax Co.'s Junk Ad Suit
A Colorado federal judge dismissed an online fax service provider's Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit alleging a group of companies overwhelmed its system with "junk" faxes, finding in a Wednesday order that the law's prohibition specifically applies to a "machine" that receives and prints faxes.
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February 12, 2025
DOJ Wants Nationwide Injunction Trimmed In Citizenship Case
The U.S. Department of Justice has called on a Maryland federal judge to narrow the scope of a nationwide injunction blocking the implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, saying it should apply only to the individuals identified in the suit.
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February 12, 2025
GOP Sens. Pitch $1K Tax On EVs To Boost Highway Fund
Republican senators on Wednesday proposed legislation that would establish a $1,000 tax on all new electric vehicles to help bolster a federal fund that pays for highway, road, bridge and transit upgrades nationwide.
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February 12, 2025
Groups Try To Stop Trump's 'Catastrophic' Refugee Shutdown
A group of refugees and nonprofits suing President Donald Trump over his suspension of a refugee program are urging a Seattle federal judge to block enforcement of the executive order, warning refugees will otherwise remain stranded abroad as the program is dismantled.
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February 12, 2025
Copyright Office's Economist Report Chimes In On AI Debate
A report released Wednesday by a group of economists convened by the U.S. Copyright Office explores the complicated — and sometimes fraught — economic considerations at the heart of the debate over copyright policy and artificial intelligence.
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February 12, 2025
USPTO Ends Fast Exams Of Patents Targeting Climate Change
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has suspended a program that sped up examination of patent applications for inventions that are intended to mitigate climate change, saying any future petitions to participate in the program will not be granted.
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February 12, 2025
RI Judge Won't Pause Order To Unfreeze Funds Amid Appeal
A Rhode Island federal judge refused Wednesday to pause a court order blocking a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs while the Trump administration appeals the ruling to the First Circuit.
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February 12, 2025
Chester, Pa., Can Probe Water Utility's Assets In Ch. 9
A Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge gave the ailing city of Chester the green light Wednesday to probe a water utility about its assets, but stopped short of allowing the city under Chapter 9 protection to share the information or allowing an auditor to visit the utility's property.
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February 12, 2025
5th Circ. OKs Drop Of Litigation Over Biden-Era GHG Rule
The Fifth Circuit has signed off on the Trump administration's decision to cease litigation over a Biden-era rule that required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions tied to federally funded highway projects.
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February 12, 2025
Fintech Group Wants To Defend CFPB's Open Banking Rule
Fintech industry group the Financial Technology Association on Wednesday filed to defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's open banking rule in an ongoing challenge from the banking industry since the agency's own defense of the rule is uncertain in the wake of Trump administration shake-ups.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating The Potential End Of GLP-1 Drug Shortages
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's determination of whether GLP-1 products are in shortage may affect how compounders provide these products and spur a range of litigation including patent disputes and unfair competition suits, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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High Court Could Further Limit Deference With TCPA Fax Case
The Supreme Court's decision to hear McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, a case involving alleged junk faxes that centers whether district courts are bound by Federal Communications Commission rules, offers the court a chance to possibly further limit the judicial deference afforded to federal agency interpretations of statutes, says Samantha Duke at Rumberger Kirk.
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Politicized OIGs Could Target Federal Employees, Contractors
After President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 inspectors general last week, it’s worth exploring how the administration could use Offices of Inspectors General to target federal employees and contractors, why it would be difficult to fight this effort, and one possible bulwark against the politicization of these watchdogs, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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Future Of Crypto-Asset Classification Is In 2nd Circ.'s Hands
A definitive ruling from the Second Circuit in a rare interlocutory appeal in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ongoing court battle with Coinbase could finally establish clear guidelines on the classification of digital assets, influencing how they are regulated and traded in the U.S., say attorneys at Manatt.
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5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates
In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.
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Overseas Investment Rule Calls For Compliance Caution
Investors should be leery of who and what they are investing in now that the federal outbound investment regime, effective Jan. 2, has extended the governement's regulatory reach to businesses and parties not previously subject to trade restrictions, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.
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Opinion
Revised Fla. Rules Of Civil Procedure Will Modernize Litigation
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The landmark amendments to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure that took effect on Jan. 1 may require significant adjustments to practice and case management approaches, but the changes should ultimately reduce the cost and burden of modern litigation, and foster a more efficient and equitable justice system, says retired Florida state judge Ralph Artigliere.
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Assessing Gary Gensler's Legacy At The SEC
Gary Gensler's tenure as U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair is defined by a record of commonsense regulation in some areas and social activism in others, and by increasing judicial skepticism about the SEC's authority to fulfill its regulatory, enforcement, administrative law and adjudicatory functions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Opinion
Legal Personhood Can Give Natural Entities Their Day In Court
Granting legal personhood to natural entities like the River Thames, or vulnerable species like the Pacific bearded seal and Arctic ringed seal, could protect them from ecological threats and the vagaries of politics, and help us transform our relationship with nature, says Sachin Nandha at the International Centre for Sustainability.
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5 Factors From Biden's Final Worker Antitrust Guidelines
The recent Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice's joint antitrust guidelines for business activities affecting workers cap a flurry of final announcements from the Biden administration, but it's unclear whether the agencies will maintain their support for these measures in the Trump administration, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Calif. Cannabis Decision Deepens Commerce Clause Divide
In Peridot Tree v. Sacramento, the Eastern District of California joined a growing minority of courts that have found the dormant commerce clause inapplicable to state-regulated marijuana, and the Ninth Circuit will soon provide important guidance on this issue, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Takeaways From DOJ Fraud Section's 2024 Year In Review
Attorneys at Paul Weiss highlight notable developments in the U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section’s recently released annual report, and discuss what the second Trump administration could mean for enforcement in the year to come.
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4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump
President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Recent Suits Show Antitrust Agencies' Focus On HSR Review
The U.S. Department of Justice's suit this month against KKR for inaccurate and incomplete premerger filings, along with other recent cases, highlights the agency's increasing scrutiny of Hart-Scott-Rodino Act compliance for private equity firms, say attorneys at Willkie.
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The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024
Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.