Public Policy

  • August 01, 2024

    Ga. Law Allows For Unlawful Voter Removals, Nonprofits Say

    A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the New Georgia Project and A. Philip Randolph Institute seeks to block portions of a Georgia law that they claim makes it easier to unlawfully remove voters from the registration list and accuses a handful of Georgia counties of unlawfully removing voters from the list based on "unvetted documentation and unreliable information."

  • August 01, 2024

    Texas AG Paxton Promotes Deputies From Strategy, Appeals

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General announced a series of promotions Thursday, appointing Ralph Molina as deputy first assistant attorney general, Joseph Mazzara as special counsel to the attorney general and to the first assistant attorney general, Ryan Baasch as associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation and Amy Hilton as chief of the Healthcare Program Enforcement Division.

  • August 01, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs Louisiana's Block Of EPA Chemical Rule

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday refused to overturn a Louisiana agency's move to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing a chemical rule that a neoprene maker says would force it to shut down.

  • August 01, 2024

    GOP Senators Slam 'Burdensome' FDIC Bank Board Proposal

    Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to withdraw proposed rulemaking on corporate governance, contending Wednesday that the proposal would "harm the safety and soundness" of the U.S. banking system.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Passes Bill To 'Systematically' Increase Judgeships

    The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday by voice vote to create 66 new and temporary judgeships to help federal courts handle increasing workloads.

  • August 01, 2024

    KC Royals SVP Joins Dentons In Missouri Office

    The senior vice president and chief external affairs officer for the Kansas City Royals, who has also been chief counsel and staff director at the U.S. House's Veterans Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, has left the ball club to join Dentons, the firm announced Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    6th Circ. Dashes Appeal Of Mich. Township's Ex-GC

    A Michigan township's former general counsel was not denied due process when his position was eliminated in 2020, the Sixth Circuit has ruled, agreeing with the district court that the attorney's employment agreement did not guarantee him a job.

  • August 01, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Upholds Trump Gag Order

    A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to strike down a gag order that bars him from threatening court and district attorney staff in his criminal hush money case ahead of his scheduled sentencing next month, as the former president renewed his bid to vacate his conviction following the U.S. Supreme Court's immunity ruling.

  • August 01, 2024

    Bipartisan Senator Team Reintroduces Anti-Deepfake Bill

    Four senators introduced an updated version of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024, or the NO FAKES Act, to combat the creation and distribution of fake replicas of people without their consent, drawing major industry support and some backlash.

  • August 01, 2024

    RTX Didn't Tell Jobseekers Of Lie Detector Ban, Suit Says

    Raytheon Technologies Corp., now RTX Corporation, failed to advise job applicants that Massachusetts bans the use of lie detector tests in hiring decisions, as required by a nearly 40-year-old law, a proposed class action filed in state court alleges.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Energy Panel Advances Permitting Overhaul Bill

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding and speeding up the permitting process for fossil fuel, renewable energy and transmission projects.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Justices Block Drivers From Intervening In PAGA Deal

    The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that ride-hail drivers bringing claims under the state's Private Attorneys General Act lack standing to intervene in a separate case that reached a settlement.

  • August 01, 2024

    Mass. Could Be New Front In The Battle Over Jury Trial Right

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling granting defendants facing administrative civil penalties the right to a jury trial, experts say a similar challenge in Massachusetts is likely, but may not find as receptive a judicial audience.

  • August 01, 2024

    DLA Piper Hires Longtime Williams & Jensen Partner In DC

    DLA Piper has hired a former Williams & Jensen PLLC attorney who spent 24 years there working on healthcare public policy issues and representing biopharmaceutical companies and various insurance providers, the firm has announced. 

  • August 01, 2024

    Schumer And Senate Dem Bill Would Reverse Trump Immunity

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and more than 30 of his Democratic colleagues introduced a bill on Thursday to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that former President Donald Trump has immunity for official acts.

  • July 31, 2024

    Barr Chided Again, This Time For 'Chaotic' Protest Response

    The U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog has again criticized former Attorney General William Barr for his actions during the Trump administration, this time focusing on his "chaotic and disorganized" response to protests and civil unrest in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, according to a report issued Wednesday.

  • July 31, 2024

    Lawsuit Aims To Save Bail Overhaul In Memphis, Tenn.

    A Memphis, Tennessee, criminal justice advocacy group, Just City, reached a deal with local officials in 2022 to soften cash bail rules at local jails, but this year, the conservative state Legislature passed a law to force a return to the old cash bail system, and now Just City is suing to save the deal.

  • July 31, 2024

    Live Nation Says In-House Attys Can't Access DOJ Docs

    As it warned would be the case, Live Nation is telling a New York federal judge that it has no in-house counsel that will be able to meet his rules on counsel access to highly confidential material in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the live events company.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ghanaian Oil Co. Hit With Sanctions In Discovery Fight

    A Texas federal judge has slapped sanctions against an African energy company after finding that it lied in Ghanaian court about a discovery dispute related to a case in Ghana, saying attorney fees and costs are appropriate in relation to several proceedings.

  • July 31, 2024

    Nonprofits' Challenge To Texas' Migrant Transit Law Revived

    A Texas federal judge revived a claim from several nonprofits that sought to challenge a Texas executive order allowing state officers to pull over drivers suspected of transporting unauthorized migrants, finding that the court has jurisdiction over the nonprofits' supremacy clause claim.

  • July 31, 2024

    Texas Rancher Leads Suit Over Biden Admin Border Programs

    A Texas rancher and two Texas counties hit the Biden administration with a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing it of issuing various immigration policies that run afoul of Congress' goal to have "zero illegal entries" at the Lone Star State's border.

  • July 31, 2024

    Ayahuasca Church Can't Get $2.1M For Atty Fees

    Attorneys for a Phoenix-based church won't get their fees increased or have any part of their pay covered by the government, an Arizona federal judge has ruled, saying the church is not the winning party in its suit against several federal agencies because the court "never placed its stamp of approval" on a deal that allows the church to use ayahuasca.

  • July 31, 2024

    Discover Could Pay $200M In Card 'Misclassification' Fines

    Discover Financial Services told investors on Wednesday that it could face $200 million in potential regulatory penalties over its past "misclassification" of certain credit card accounts, an issue that's also led to class action litigation and other scrutiny for the card giant.

  • July 31, 2024

    AI Prior Art Is Either Nothing New Or A Red Flag, USPTO Told

    Technology companies, drugmakers and various industry organizations have represented to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that they're torn on how artificial intelligence should be used when determining whether something is patentable over prior art.

  • July 31, 2024

    Top California Real Estate News In 2024 So Far

    Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of California so far this year, from homeless policy shifts and rent algorithm disputes to a $5 billion mixed-use project and a shareholder activist campaign.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • What The NYSE Proposed Delisting Rule Could Mean For Cos.

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    The New York Stock Exchange's recently proposed rule would provide the exchange with discretionary authority to commence delisting proceedings for a company substantially shifting its primary business focus, raising concerns for NYSE-listed companies over the exact definition of the exchange's proposed "substantially different" standard, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Opinion

    New Guidance On Guilty Plea Withdrawals Is Long Past Due

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    In light of the Sentencing Reform Act's 40th anniversary, adding a new section to the accompanying guidelines on the withdrawal of guilty pleas could remedy the lack of direction in this area and improve the regulation's effectiveness in promoting sentencing uniformity, say Mark H. Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • The Uncertain Scope Of The First Financial Fair Access Laws

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    With Florida and Tennessee soon to roll out laws banning financial institutions from making decisions based on customer traits like political affiliation, national financial services providers should consider how broadly worded “fair access” laws from these and other conservative-leaning states may place new obligations on their business operations, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests

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    Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

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    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

  • How Act 126 Will Jump-Start Lithium Production In Louisiana

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    Louisiana's recent passage of Act 126, which helps create a legal and regulatory framework for lithium brine production and direct lithium extraction in the state, should help bolster the U.S. supply of this key mineral, and contribute to increased energy independence for the nation, say Marjorie McKeithen and Justin Marocco at Jones Walker.

  • 5 Steps For Gov't Contractor Affirmative Action Verification

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    As the federal contractor affirmative action program certification deadline approaches, government contractors and subcontractors should take steps to determine their program obligations, and ensure any required plans are properly implemented and timely registered, say Christopher Wilkinson at Perkins Coie and Joanna Colosimo at DCI Consulting.

  • Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture

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    In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.

  • A Closer Look At Feds' Proposed Banker Compensation Rule

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    A recently proposed rule to limit financial institutions' ability to award incentive-based compensation for risk-taking may progress through the rulemaking process slowly due to the sheer number of regulators collaborating on the rule and the number of issues under consideration, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • 2 Regulatory Approaches To Psychedelic Clinical Trials

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    Comparing the U.S. and Canada's regulatory frameworks for clinical trials of psychedelic drugs can be useful for designing trial protocols that meet both countries' requirements, which can in turn help diversify patient populations, bolster data robustness and expedite market access, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Sabrina Ramkellawan at AxialBridge.

  • Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond

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    Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.

  • How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving

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    Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • Best Practices For Responding To CBP's Solar Questionnaire

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    U.S. Customs and Border Protection's recently introduced questionnaire to solar importers imposes significant burdens, with the potential for supply chain disruptions and market consolidation, but taking certain steps can assist companies in navigating the new requirements, say Carl Valenstein and Katelyn Hilferty at Morgan Lewis.

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