The final year of the Biden administration saw trade policy kept on the back burner, particularly as campaign season ramped up, but nevertheless 2024 yielded a number of White House moves on tariffs, enforcement and negotiations that kept attorneys at attention. Here, Law360 walks you through the most noteworthy trade policy developments of the past 12 months.
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International Trade
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Analysis

Year In Review: The Biggest Trade Policy Moves Of 2024

By Alex Lawson

The final year of the Biden administration saw trade policy kept on the back burner, particularly as campaign season ramped up, but nevertheless 2024 yielded a number of White House moves on tariffs, enforcement and negotiations that kept attorneys at attention. Here, Law360 walks you through the most noteworthy trade policy developments of the past 12 months.

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Analysis

Digital Taxes In Flux Amid Renewed US Tariff Threats

By Kevin Pinner

Governments around the world revisited their approaches to digital services taxes this year by adopting broader versions, raising rates, carving out industries and analyzing the impacts of adopting unilateral measures as threats of U.S. tariffs materialize once again. Here, Law360 looks at how countries around the world are considering, adopting or changing their DSTs.

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South Korean Needle Operation Secures Patent Win At ITC

By Andrew Karpan

The U.S. subsidiary of a South Korean dermatologist's needle business has convinced a judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission that several rivals in the marketplace for selling microneedles to plastic surgeons are infringing patents. 

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Trade Panel Strikes Down Mexico's Curbs On Biotech Corn

By Alex Lawson

Mexico's 2023 restrictions on the use of genetically modified corn to make tortillas and animal feed violated the country's trade accord with the U.S., a dispute settlement panel ruled Friday, finding that the policy was not based on sound science. 

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Trump Tells EU To Buy US Oil In Bulk Or Face Higher Tariffs

By Elaine Briseño

President-elect Donald Trump used social media early Friday morning to threaten the European Union with "tariffs all the way" if it refuses to buy large amounts of U.S. oil and gas.

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POLICY & REGULATION

FTA Proposes Buy America Waiver For Electric Minibuses

By Daniel Wilson

The Federal Transit Administration has asked for public feedback on whether it should grant a temporary nonavailability waiver from domestic sourcing requirements for battery electric minibuses, saying it had received related requests from multiple transit operators.

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DEALS

UK Finds $35B Software Deal Could Harm Supply Of Chips

By Najiyya Budaly

The Competition and Markets Authority warned on Friday that the $35 billion acquisition by Synopsys Inc. of another software firm, Ansys Inc., could harm competition for semiconductor chips in the U.K., forcing consumers to pay higher prices for laptops, smartphones and televisions.

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LITIGATION

11th Circ. Won't Reconsider Nixing $440M Cuba Dock Claim

By Jonathan Capriel

The Eleventh Circuit said it won't take a second look at its decision upending a $440 million judgment against four cruise lines that were accused of participating in prohibited tourism in Cuba by way of utilizing a dock that once belonged to a U.S.-based company.

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Argentina Asks Justices To Review Bondholders' $310M Win

By Lauren Berg

Argentina wants the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a circuit split over what law applies when determining whether a country's assets are shielded from creditors under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, saying its reversionary interests worth $310 million in collateral backing recently matured 1990s Brady bonds are immune.

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WHITE COLLAR

Feds Rip Atty For NYC Mayor Over Press Statements

By Elliot Weld

Prosecutors told a Manhattan federal judge Friday that New York City Mayor Eric Adams' lawyer has violated local court rules by making comments to the press that deride their bribery and corruption case against the mayor as a "contrived" effort to tarnish his reputation.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

COP29 Offers Pathway To A Global Carbon Market

COP29, the recently concluded United Nations climate conference, represented a breakthrough in the establishment of standards for a global carbon market — and voluntary carbon market participants in the U.S. and elsewhere can enhance the value of their projects by aligning them with these standards, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.

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Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.

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Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

MoFo, Irell Latest Firms To Unveil Competitive Bonuses

By Aebra Coe & Hailey Konnath

Morrison Foerster LLP and litigation boutique Irell & Manella LLP have joined a chorus of firms announcing associate bonuses that meet or exceed the BigLaw standard for associate bonuses this year, with MoFo offering up to $218,200 and Irell handing its lawyers as much as $175,000.

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Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

By Cara Bayles

Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

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Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

By Matt Perez

A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.

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NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

By Tracey Read

A New Jersey state appeals court reversed and remanded on Friday a lower court's ruling that found the state bar association's diversity practices to be an unlawful, discriminatory quota system.

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Analysis

How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

By Cara Bayles

During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

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Biden Exceeds Trump's Record On Judges By One

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate confirmed on Friday the last two judicial nominations from President Joe Biden, making his total of lifetime judicial appointments 235, just one over President Donald Trump's 234.

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High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

By Katie Buehler

Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

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Legislators Key To Court Fee Relief, Chief Justices Say

By Cara Salvatore

Two state high court chief justices and a top judicial administrator have told the National Center for State Courts that while they've been able to make significant progress in abolishing unfair court fines and fees, lawmakers have been vital in enacting these changes.

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No, Microsoft Isn't Driving DOJ's Google Antitrust Suit: Judge

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge pushed back Friday on Google's efforts to paint Microsoft as the true plaintiff in the Justice Department's search monopolization lawsuit, casting doubt during a hearing that Google should get even more information about Microsoft's relationship with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

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Feature

Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

By Chris Villani

The top appellate lawyer in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General will be ringing in the new year by performing a comical cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, the latest show in a lengthy side career in music.

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Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit

By Lauren Berg

The second Texas judge to oversee litigation filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. accusing the World Federation of Advertisers and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the company has recused himself from the case.

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Hagens Berman Settles Suit Over Effexor Deal Atty Fees

By Bryan Koenig

A pharmaceutical reseller's in-house counsel and founder moved Friday to drop a Mississippi federal court breach of contract suit accusing Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP of stiffing him on his share of a $13 million attorney fees award from an antitrust class settlement, citing a resolution to the dispute.

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Girardi's Mental Health To Be Evaluated At NC Federal Prison

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge said Friday she will order Tom Girardi to receive a psychiatric evaluation at a North Carolina federal correctional facility after she recently delayed his wire fraud sentencing to determine if he should be committed to a medical facility instead of prison due to his dementia diagnosis.

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Q&A

A Judge Reflects: West Wing Call, 'Alford Plea?' Early Exit

By Hayley Fowler

When Chief Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III of the North Carolina Business Court hangs up his robes for the last time on Dec. 31, he'll leave behind a white-hot docket of high-profile cases and a profusion of opinions that helped mold the court into a tribunal fit to rival Delaware's Court of Chancery.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Andrea Keckley

This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

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UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen the University of Southampton sue a drone-maker over the rights to an uncrewed aircraft patent, Importers Service Corp. and its subsidiary ISC Europe take action against a former director who allegedly owes the company over £1.1 million ($1.4 million), and DAC Beachcroft face a fraud claim by a "prolific litigant." 

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Addleshaw Goddard

Ahmad Zavitsanos

Akerman LLP

Alston & Bird

American Center for Law & Justice Inc.

Armstrong Teasdale

Arnold & Porter

Baker McKenzie

Barrett Law Group

Bartkowski PLLC

Blacks Solicitors

Boies Schiller

Bradley Arant

Brito PLLC

Brownstein Hyatt

CMS Cameron McKenna

Cantey Hanger

Charles Russell Speechlys

Choate Hall

Cleary Gottlieb

Clement & Murphy

Colson Hicks

Covington & Burling

Cravath Swaine

DAC Beachcroft

Davis Wright Tremaine

Dechert LLP

Dhillon Law Group

Ellis George LLP

Fenchurch Law

Fieldfisher

Fisher & Phillips

Forsters LLP

Fried Frank

Gatehouse Chambers

Gibbons PC

Gibson Dunn

Girardi & Keese

Glancy Prongay

Glenn Agre

Goodwin Procter

Gowling WLG

Gunster Yoakley

Gupta Wessler

Hadsell Stormer

Hagens Berman

Halunen Law

Haynes & Boone

Hogan Lovells

Holman Fenwick

Holwell Shuster

Hueston Hennigan

Hugh James

Ice Miller

Irell & Manella

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Jones Walker

Kaufman Dolowich

Keker Van Nest & Peters

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Kutak Rock

Latham & Watkins

Law Office of Rajeh A. Saadeh

Leydig Voit

Loretta A. Preska

Mayer Brown

Milbank LLP

Morgan & Morgan

Morgan Lewis

Morrison Foerster

Nabarro LLP

Norton Rose

O'Melveny & Myers

Orrick Herrington

Patterson Belknap

Paul Weiss

Paynter Law Firm

Pearl Cohen

Perkins Coie

Quinn Emanuel

Reynolds Porter

Robinson Bradshaw

Ropes & Gray

Ross Aronstam

Rothwell Figg

Roythornes Solicitors

Sanford Heisler

Sidley Austin

Skadden Arps

Spector Constant & Williams

Sullivan & Cromwell

TLT LLP

Trenk Isabel

Trowers & Hamlins

Vartabedian Hester

Venable LLP

Vinson & Elkins

Ward Hadaway

White & Case

Wiley Rein

Wilkinson Stekloff

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

Wilson Sonsini

Winston & Strawn

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

ANSYS, Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

America First Policy Institute

American Civil Liberties Union

American Constitution Society

American Intellectual Property Law Association

American Public Transportation Association

Apple Inc.

Atlantic Coast Conference

BNP Paribas SA

Beazley PLC

Boy Scouts of America

British American Tobacco PLC

CLS Bank International

CVS Health Corp.

Cantor Fitzgerald LP

Carnival Corp. & PLC

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

Council for Innovation Promotion

Council on Foreign Relations

Cutera, Inc.

Cynosure Inc.

Democracy Forward Foundation

Duke Energy Corp.

Essity AB

Federalist Society

GP Global

Google LLC

Gulf Petrochem FZC

Intellectual Property Owners Association

Judicial Watch Inc.

LKQ Corp.

Lambda Legal Defense & Educational Fund

Mars Inc.

McKinsey & Co. Inc.

Meadow

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Mozilla Corp.

NHK Spring

National Corn Growers Association

Natixis SA

New Jersey State Bar Association

Norwegian Cruise Line

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Our Children's Trust

Ozone Networks Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America

Princeton University

Prometheus Laboratories

Purdue Pharma LP

ROC Nation LLC

Reynolds American Inc.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Saint-Gobain SA

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Sonos Inc.

Spotify Technology SA

Starr International Co. Inc.

Synopsys Inc.

Teleflex Inc.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. Inc.

The New York Times Co.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC

The Walt Disney Co.

TikTok Inc.

Turk Hava Yollari AO

Twitter Inc.

Unilever PLC

United Steelworkers

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Valero Energy Corp.

Walmart Inc.

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Wells Fargo & Co.

Western Environmental Law Center

World Economic Forum

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Central Intelligence Agency

Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Companies House

Competition and Markets Authority

Delaware Court of Chancery

European Commission

European Union

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Georgia Court of Appeals

Government of Mexico

Internal Revenue Service

International Trade Commission

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

Ohio Supreme Court

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Texas Supreme Court

The Crown Prosecution Service

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Department of Transportation

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

UK High Court

US Office of Management and Budget

United Nations