Public Policy

  • December 16, 2024

    Canadian Finance Minister Resigns Amid Trump Tariff Threats

    Canada's deputy prime minister and minister of finance announced Monday that she is resigning from her post, citing conflicting views with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about how to respond to tariff threats under President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

  • December 16, 2024

    Conn. Utility Says PFAS Class Claims Belong With Regulators

    Most of the claims in a proposed class action against a Connecticut water company that allegedly failed to protect customers against "forever chemicals" cannot proceed because they needed to be heard first by state regulators, the utility argued in seeking to trim the complaint.

  • December 16, 2024

    11th Circ. Appears Wary Of Doc's New Trial Bid In $27.5M Case

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday questioned whether a Georgia doctor and his medical practice should get a new trial in a $27.5 million False Claims Act case on the basis that he and an expert who wasn't allowed to testify at trial believed the thousands of treatments he billed for were medically necessary and could be covered by Medicare, saying that contention seems to contradict the doctor's prior statements. 

  • December 16, 2024

    Navajo President Cleared In VP Sexual Harassment Probe

    Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has been cleared of allegations that he sexually harassed the tribe's Vice President Richelle Montoya during an August 2023 encounter, its attorney general announced, saying an outside firm hired to investigate the incident found that her reports don't violate any of the tribe's criminal laws.

  • December 16, 2024

    Cos. Urge Judge To Maintain Injunction On Transparency Law

    A Texas federal judge doesn't need to stay his preliminary injunction on the rollout of new corporate transparency rules while the U.S. government's appeal of his decision is pending at the Fifth Circuit, a business lobbying group and others said Monday.

  • December 16, 2024

    No 1st Amendment Right For Prison Interviews, 4th Circ. Says

    A South Carolina prison's policy of prohibiting interviews with inmates does not violate the First Amendment's free speech protections, the Fourth Circuit has said in a published decision.

  • December 16, 2024

    Albertsons Says Kroger 'Squandered' $25B Merger Bid

    The Kroger Co. Inc. "willfully squandered" opportunities to complete a now-blocked $24.6 billion mega-merger with Albertsons Cos. Inc., according to an unsealed five-count lawsuit in Delaware's Court of Chancery potentially seeking billions in damages.

  • December 16, 2024

    Wyden Bill Would Nix Tax Perks For Private Placement Plans

    U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden unveiled legislation Monday that would remove the tax benefits of a special type of private life insurance plan that he said high-net-worth individuals have been abusing to avoid paying taxes on their investments in the policies.

  • December 16, 2024

    ICE Contractor Claims Immunity From Family Separation Suit

    Transportation services provider MVM Inc. is arguing a father and son suing it for its role in a Trump administration policy that separated them and thousands of other immigrant families can't show it acted unlawfully or outside the bounds of a valid federal contract, dooming their litigation.

  • December 16, 2024

    Experienced Retail Adviser Joins Hunton In DC

    Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP announced Monday that a longtime vice president and senior counsel at the National Retail Federation has joined the firm's Washington, D.C., office as a public policy and government relations partner.

  • December 16, 2024

    Texas Courts Eye 'Living Wage' Hikes For Support Staff

    Court support and clerk's office personnel in Texas should receive pay at levels that at least amount to a living wage in their counties to fight attrition, the Texas Judicial Council heard, and a novel "time study" is needed to determine each jurisdiction's staffing needs.

  • December 16, 2024

    Trump Makes Another Pick For Homeland Security Team

    President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate IBM executive Troy Edgar to serve as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, after previously nominating South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the department.

  • December 16, 2024

    Vape Cos. Say Ky. Regulations Violate Federal Law

    A vaping company association along with a retailer and wholesaler are challenging a Kentucky law regulating e-cigarettes, saying that it conflicts with the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by purporting to enforce U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards.

  • December 16, 2024

    What's A Major Question? It's Untested, Telecom Attys Say

    More than two years since the U.S. Supreme Court solidified its "major questions" doctrine holding that federal agencies can't take on matters of significant public impact without direction from Congress, telecom lawyers are still debating how the justices' action could affect some big-ticket controversies in the industry.

  • December 16, 2024

    HMRC Chief Defends Record On Fighting Tax Evasion

    The chief executive of HM Revenue & Customs told Parliament on Monday that the British tax authority has reduced the level of tax noncompliance in response to claims it needs a better strategy on tax evasion.

  • December 16, 2024

    Ex-Top Aide To NYC Mayor Denies Guilt As Indictment Looms

    A former top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams professed innocence Monday as she braced for state criminal charges related to allegedly improper gifts.

  • December 16, 2024

    With Legal Battle Looming, Neb. Legalizes Medical Marijuana

    Nebraska became the 39th state to legalize medical marijuana after supermajorities of voters approved ballot measures to decriminalize and regulate its sale, but the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge from state officials that could invalidate it before implementation.

  • December 16, 2024

    Mass. Paper To Close, Pay $1.1M To Settle Defamation Case

    A Massachusetts mayor said he has settled his defamation claims against the city's local newspaper for a $1.1 million payment and an agreement that the publication will close its doors later this week.

  • December 16, 2024

    Firm Tells Colo. Justices To Ignore Ex-Atty's Poaching Petition

    A petition to have the Colorado Supreme Court review a decision upholding a verdict against an attorney accused of soliciting BigLaw firms to poach her department at a personal injury firm must fail, her ex-firm told the high court, as it presents "no novel or complicating issue."

  • December 16, 2024

    The Biggest Massachusetts High Court Rulings Of 2024

    Massachusetts' highest court added two justices this year while taking up several novel legal issues, including one town's effort to phase out the sale of tobacco, a paralyzed Uber rider's fight against arbitration, and a dispute over whether a hospital website's use of tracking cookies violates the state wiretap statute.

  • December 16, 2024

    IRS Corrects Regs On Direct Pay Of Partnership Tax Credit

    Internal Revenue Service issued a correction Monday to final regulations that make it easier for tax-exempt entities that co-own development projects to qualify for a direct cash payment of clean energy tax credits by electing out of their partnership tax status.

  • December 16, 2024

    4th Circ. Judge Reverses Senior Status Decision

    U.S. Circuit Judge James Wynn of the Fourth Circuit has rescinded his decision to take senior status, coming shortly after President Joe Biden's nominee to replace him withdrew his nomination after it was clear he would not get a vote.

  • December 16, 2024

    High Court Passes On Navarro's Presidential Records Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro's appeal in his yearslong fight over orders that he hand over emails sent or received using a nonofficial account during his tenure at the White House.

  • December 16, 2024

    Court Culture Seen As Barrier To Workplace Misconduct Fixes

    The federal judiciary's internal system for resolving workplace misconduct allegations has gone through a six-year overhaul that officials tout as evidence of sustained progress, but some experts say the tight bonds that unite court personnel may still be an impediment to meaningful change.

  • December 16, 2024

    3rd Circ. Nominee Decries 'Broken' Confirmation Process

    Adeel Mangi, the nominee for the Third Circuit who would have been the first federal Muslim appellate judge if confirmed, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday saying the selection process for federal judges is "broken."

Expert Analysis

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Implementing Human Rights Due Diligence

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    The Bureau of Industry and Security’s recent removal of a Canadian surveillance provider from its export blacklist, after just eight months, illustrates the importance of integrating human rights due diligence into the vetting process by asking a few targeted questions, say attorneys at Cravath.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • 3 Changes Community Banks Should Expect Under Trump

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    A second Trump administration promises a sea change for regional and community banks, including shifts in the regulatory environment, Community Reinvestment Act rules and the M&A landscape, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation

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    A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The Challenges Of Abandoned Retirement Plans In Ch. 7

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    The Department of Labor's rule for unwinding retirement accounts when plan sponsors file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy was intended to alleviate trustees' administration issues, but practical challenges, like unresolved fee and identification matters, could hinder its implementation, say David Goodrich at Golden Goodrich and Nancy Simons at Stretto.

  • How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors

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    The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • 5 Ways SEC's Crypto Approach Could Change Under Trump

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    Given the Trump campaign's procrypto stance, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could take a number of different approaches to crypto policy in the next administration, including pausing registration-only enforcement actions and proposing tailored rules that take into account the differences between crypto-assets and traditional securities, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Health Policy Predictions For Trump's Second Administration

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    As President-elect Donald Trump's nominations for health policy and enforcement heads work their way through the confirmation process, healthcare organizations can look at nominee backgrounds, campaign statements and actions from Trump's previous presidency to predict incoming priorities, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    FTC Actions In Oil Cases Go Against Its Own Rulemaking

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    Two recent Federal Trade Commission actions concerning the oil and gas industry appear to defy its own merger guidelines, with allegations that fall far short of the commission's own standard — raising serious questions about the agency's current approach, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • How Global Data Center Regs May Influence US Policies

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    As regulators around the world react to the growth of data centers, and their increasing consumption of energy, water and land, international policies in this area may influence how the incoming U.S. administration regulates data centers in this country, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Key Points From New Maritime Oil Price Cap Advisory

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    The Price Cap Coalition's updated advisory regarding the maritime oil industry's compliance with the Russian oil price cap highlights the role of governmental authorities, additional areas warranting due diligence and the need for training programs, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Squash Bid To Criminalize Contract Breaches

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    In Kousisis v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court should reject the sweeping legal theory that breaches of contract can satisfy the property element of the mail and wire fraud statutes, which, if validated, would criminalize an array of ordinary conduct and violate basic constitutional principles, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.

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