Public Policy

  • March 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Revisit FCC's Tanked Net Neutrality Rules

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday turned down a bid by public interest groups for a full-court rehearing of January's decision to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.

  • March 11, 2025

    House Mulls Stablecoin Draft As Senate Bill Heads To Vote

    House lawmakers continued to hash out the level of consumer protections and the size of state regulatory power that belongs in a federal framework for stablecoins on Tuesday as the Senate said it plans to push forward with a markup of its own Republican-led proposal.

  • March 11, 2025

    Trump Taps Amazon Corporate Counsel As US Atty In Philly

    President Donald Trump has tapped David Metcalf, a former U.S. Department of Justice official, currently at Amazon, to be U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

  • March 11, 2025

    Trump Taps DOJ Vet To Serve As Energy Dept.'s Top Lawyer

    President Donald Trump has nominated a Winston & Strawn LLP partner, who formerly led the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division during Trump's previous term, to serve as the U.S. Department of Energy's general counsel.

  • March 11, 2025

    Groups Say EPA Must Regulate Phosphate Mining Waste

    The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and others have called on the D.C. Circuit to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate radioactive waste from phosphate mining and fertilizer production, which are currently excluded from federal regulation.

  • March 11, 2025

    12 Govs. Assert States' Sovereignty Against CTA In 5th Circ.

    A dozen Republican governors, led by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, urged the Fifth Circuit to maintain a nationwide block of enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act, arguing the law undermines the traditional authority states have to regulate businesses.

  • March 11, 2025

    Conservationists Sue FWS Over 'Blanket' Species Rule

    Two conservation groups are suing the U.S. Department of the Interior in Montana federal court over an Endangered Species Act rule they say illegally gives the government power to indiscriminately restrict landowners' use of their property.

  • March 11, 2025

    FTC Defends Southern Glazer's Pricing Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is defending its price discrimination case against alcohol distributor Southern Glazer's, telling a California federal judge Monday that the company's move to dismiss the suit "misapprehends applicable case law, ignores key allegations, and overstates the factual detail required of the pleading standard."

  • March 11, 2025

    DOJ's RealPage Antitrust Case Gets New Judge

    The U.S. Department of Justice's price-fixing lawsuit against algorithmic real estate pricing company RealPage is getting a new judge due to a conflict.

  • March 11, 2025

    BigLaw Firms Join To Support Del. Corporate Law Changes

    Twenty-one law firms with Delaware corporate practices have jointly endorsed pending state legislation, S.B. 21, that aims to narrow stockholder avenues for challenging corporate acts and clarify the definition of company controllers.

  • March 11, 2025

    FERC Can't Defend Its Enforcement Powers, Energy Co. Says

    An energy efficiency aggregator insists that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission doesn't have the authority to pursue a market manipulation case against it, telling a North Carolina federal judge that just because it can contest a penalty in court doesn't mean its constitutional rights haven't been violated.

  • March 11, 2025

    Former Immigration Judges Defend Legal Services Programs

    A group of former immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals members told a D.C. federal judge that legal services programs for unrepresented detained immigrants that the Trump administration stopped funding help the courts function more efficiently.

  • March 11, 2025

    CMA's Big Tech Enforcement To Focus On UK Impact

    An official for the Competition and Markets Authority said the agency will focus enforcement efforts against technology companies on issues that have a local impact in the United Kingdom and is less likely to act on issues already being addressed by other authorities.

  • March 11, 2025

    NYC Workers Can't Revive Fossil Fuel Divestment Challenge

    A New York state appeals court refused Tuesday to reopen a lawsuit claiming several New York City pension plans unlawfully put politics over municipal employees' financial needs by divesting $3.9 billion from fossil fuels, backing a trial court's determination that the workers hadn't shown their benefits were affected.

  • March 11, 2025

    Split 2nd Circ. Says Court Records Rule Flouts Free Speech

    A split panel of the Second Circuit said Tuesday that Vermont's new rule restricting access to newly filed state court complaints until they can be reviewed by court staff is unconstitutional in its current form, with one judge arguing that the majority's ruling will stifle innovation in judicial procedures.

  • March 11, 2025

    Colo. Justices Uneasy About Reach Of Xcel's Immunity Claim

    Colorado's justices were concerned Tuesday about the potentially far-reaching consequences of Xcel Energy's claim that a regulatory tariff limits its liability from a man's personal injury claim, with one justice asking if it would be a "severe derogation of common law" for regulators to grant the utility such broad immunity.

  • March 11, 2025

    'Victim Of Its Own Success': The Federalist Society's Shift

    The Federalist Society can now boast long-sought victories and point to scores of federal judges appointed from its ranks. But its alliance with President Donald Trump may bring about a reckoning within the conservative legal movement.

  • March 11, 2025

    Eric Adams Case Dying Slow Death In 'Sovereign' District

    Experts say New York City Mayor Eric Adams' criminal corruption case appears on track to be tossed permanently — a looming development that could signal the end of the fierce independence of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

  • March 11, 2025

    Threats Against Judges 'Top Priority,' Fed. Judiciary Says

    Protecting federal judges is a "top priority" as violent threats spike against a polarized political backdrop, making congressional funding for additional security measures more important than ever, the U.S. Judicial Conference said Tuesday.

  • March 11, 2025

    NJ Power Broker Fights Civil Suit After Criminal Case Victory

    South Jersey power broker George Norcross and his brother moved this week to dismiss a civil racketeering suit against them arguing that the plaintiff's claims "parroted" a criminal indictment against them that was recently dismissed.

  • March 11, 2025

    California Entities Escape State Judge's Underpayment Suit

    A California state judge threw out some claims in a proposed class action from a judge who alleges she was underpaid the last several years, saying the state's retirement agency and its controller showed they didn't have much authority over judges' pay.

  • March 11, 2025

    Publix's Suit Over Ga. County's Private Attys 'Beyond Reason'

    Publix can't sue a metro Atlanta county to force it to drop its private attorneys who filed an opioid suit against the supermarket chain, the Georgia Court of Appeals has said, ruling that the company "fails to show what right the county has violated by its choice of counsel."

  • March 11, 2025

    Colorado Pot Grower Sues Regulators Over Lax Enforcement

    A Colorado cannabis grower is suing state regulators, alleging that they are failing to crack down on illegal businesses and retaliating against legitimate operations for blowing the whistle on noncompliant actors.

  • March 11, 2025

    Trump Admin Drops Suit Over COVID Nasal Spray Ads Claims

    The U.S. Department of Justice quietly moved Monday to drop a Utah federal court lawsuit filed on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission accusing a sinus nasal spray company of falsely claiming its products could help prevent and treat COVID-19.

  • March 11, 2025

    NJ High Court Approves AG Conflicts Waiver Pilot Program

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for a two-year pilot program through which the state attorney general will be allowed to waive conflicts of interest for public clients represented by the Office of the Attorney General.

Expert Analysis

  • Expect Continued Antitrust Enforcement In Procurement

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    The scope of federal antitrust enforcement under the second Trump administration remains uncertain, but the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, which collaborates with federal and state agencies to enforce antitrust laws in the government procurement space, is likely to remain active — so contractors must stay vigilant, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Takeaways From Oral Argument In High Court Trademark Case

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    Unpacking oral arguments from Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this year, sheds light on the ways in which the decision could significantly affect trademark infringement plaintiffs' ability to receive monetary damages, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.

  • What Banks Need To Know About Trump's Executive Orders

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    While the numerous executive orders and memos from the last few weeks don't touch on many of the issues the banking industry expected the Trump administration to address, banks still need to pay attention to the flurry of orders from strategic, compliance and operational perspectives, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How SDNY US Atty Nom May Shape Enforcement Priorities

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    President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton, will likely shift the office’s enforcement priorities, from refining whistleblower policies to deemphasizing novel prosecutorial theories, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How FAR Council's Proposal May Revamp Conflicts Reporting

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    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's recent proposal for updating organizational conflict of interest rules includes some welcome clarifications, but new representation and disclosure obligations would upend long-standing practices, likely increase contractors’ False Claims Act risks, and necessitate implementation of more complex OCI compliance programs, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Emerging Energy Trends Reflect Shifting Political Landscape

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    As the Trump administration settles in, some emerging energy industry trends, like expanded support for fossil fuel production, are right off of its wish list — while others, like the popularity of Inflation Reduction Act energy tax credits, and bipartisan support for carbon capture, reflect more complex political realities, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 4 Potential Effects Of 3rd Circ.'s Coinbase Ruling

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    The Third Circuit's recent landmark decision in Coinbase v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the SEC's refusal to engage in rulemaking to clarify its stance on crypto enforcement was "insufficiently reasoned" could have wide-ranging impacts, including on other cases, legislation and even the SEC's reputation itself, says Daniel Payne at Cole-Frieman.

  • Applying ABA Atty Role Guidance To White Collar Matters

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    The American Bar Association’s recently published guidance, clarifying the duties outside counsel owes to both organizational clients and those organizations' constituents, provides best practices that attorneys representing companies in white collar and other investigative matters should heed, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • What Trump Admin's Anti-DEI Push Means For FCA Claims

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    President Donald Trump's recent rescission of a 60-year-old executive order imposing nondiscrimination requirements on certain federal contractors has far-reaching implications, including potential False Claims Act liability for contractors and grant recipients who fail to comply, though it may be a challenge for the government to successfully establish liability, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • Pete Seeger's Lessons For 2025 Congressional Investigations

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    The constitutional invalidation of singer Pete Seeger's contempt of Congress conviction serves as a reminder for the 119th Congress to focus its investigations on the details, instead of committee member motivations, says Matthew Miller at Foley Hoag.

  • As EPA Backs Down, Expect Enviros To Step Up Citizen Suits

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    As President Donald Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draws down federal enforcement efforts, environmental groups will step into the void and file citizen suits — so companies should focus on compliance efforts, stay savvy about emerging analytical and monitoring methods, and maintain good relations with neighbors, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • CFPB's Message To States Takes On New Weight Under Trump

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's January guidance to state enforcers has fresh significance as the Trump administration moves to freeze the bureau's work, and industry should expect states to use this series of recommendations as an enforcement road map, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • What's Next For State Regulation Of Hemp Cannabinoids

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    Based on two recent federal court cases that indisputably fortify broad state authority to regulate intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products, 2025 will feature continued aggressive state regulation of such products as industry stakeholders wait for Congress to release its plans for the next five-year Farm Bill, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • What Companies Should Consider During FCPA Pause

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    While waiting for updated guidance on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act criminal investigations after a Feb. 10 executive order froze FCPA enforcement, companies should consider the implications of several possible policy shifts, rather than relaxing internal oversight of questionable business practices, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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