Public Policy

  • July 15, 2024

    Bannon Wants Full DC Circ. To Revisit Contempt Conviction

    Ex-Trump White House aide Steve Bannon asked the D.C. Circuit on Monday for an en banc rehearing as he seeks to overturn his contempt of Congress conviction, saying a three-judge panel's determination that he "willfully" flouted a subpoena from the Jan. 6 House select committee ignored U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • July 15, 2024

    Farm, Fuel Groups Challenge Feds' Land Conservation Rule

    The U.S. Bureau of Land Management broke the law when it published a rule creating two new types of conservation leases for federal lands, a coalition of agriculture and fossil fuel advocacy groups said in a new lawsuit.

  • July 15, 2024

    SEC Pans Database Privacy Challenge As Too Little, Too Late

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is looking to rid itself of a proposed class action targeting a market surveillance tool known as the consolidated audit trail, telling a Texas federal judge that shutting down a critical market stability tool 12 years after its creation would harm the public without providing any benefit to suing investors.

  • July 15, 2024

    Feds Say New Migrant Detention Rules Moot Lawsuit

    The Biden administration asked a California federal court to end a long-running lawsuit challenging the government's practices for placing unaccompanied migrant children, saying it addressed all the issues identified by the court with an April policy change.

  • July 15, 2024

    Detroit Must Face Bus Rider's Injury Suit, Mich. Panel Says

    The city of Detroit can't escape a lawsuit claiming one of its bus drivers intentionally hit the brakes in an effort to injure a passenger she was arguing with, causing injuries to another commuter, a Michigan appeals court ruled, saying the claims fall squarely with the motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity.

  • July 15, 2024

    BEAD Should Not 'Impede' Rural 5G Fund, FCC Says

    The chair of the Federal Communications Commission told Congress the fear of overlapping deployment is no reason for the government to spend infrastructure dollars on building out fixed internet service before auctioning spectrum for rural mobile broadband projects.

  • July 15, 2024

    10th Circ. Rejects Okla. Title X Funding Cut Challenge

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Monday rejected Oklahoma's challenge to federal cuts of its Title X funding over the state's refusal to provide referrals for abortions, affirming it was likely the state knowingly and voluntarily accepted the Department of Health and Human Services' requirements for the grant funding.

  • July 15, 2024

    La., Miss. Utility Regulators Launch FERC Grid Policy Fight

    Louisiana and Mississippi utility regulators called on the Fifth Circuit on Monday to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's sweeping overhaul of how major electric transmission projects are planned and paid for.

  • July 15, 2024

    Colo. Judge Asks If Campaign Limits Hinge On Experts

    A Colorado federal judge wondered Monday who had the right to decide whether political corruption is enough of a problem to justify state campaign contribution limits, questioning the weight of expert opinion in a bench trial over the constitutionality of those limits.

  • July 15, 2024

    Menendez Jury Seeks Deliberation Guidance In 2 Notes

    The Manhattan federal jury weighing bribery charges against Sen. Robert Menendez and two businessmen sent two notes Monday indicating confusion as to fundamental issues.

  • July 15, 2024

    JD Vance's Wife Leaves Munger Tolles As Campaign Launches

    Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of vice presidential candidate J. D. Vance, has resigned as a litigator at Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, her now-former law firm told Law360 on Monday afternoon, presumably to trade her Washington, D.C.- and San Francisco-based litigation career for the campaign trail.

  • July 15, 2024

    Monsanto Doubles Down In Push To Undo $82M PCB Verdict

    Monsanto has urged a Washington state appeals court to toss an $82 million jury verdict awarded over polychlorinated biphenyls exposure at a school, saying the findings by the same court in a similar case should apply.

  • July 15, 2024

    NRA's Policies Called 'Dumpster Fire' As 2nd NY Trial Opens

    The New York attorney general cast the National Rifle Association as unrepentant and unreformed as a second-phase bench trial began in state court Monday, after a jury had found the group and its ex-officers liable for misspending millions.

  • July 15, 2024

    Fed's Powell Says He's Not Going Anywhere As Chairman

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that he will serve out the remaining two years of his appointment leading the central bank, signaling his intent to stick around despite questions about his future in a second potential Trump administration.

  • July 15, 2024

    Calif. Justices Nix 3 Charter Arb. Terms, Remand Severability

    The California Supreme Court held Monday that three of four challenged provisions in Charter Communications Inc.'s employee arbitration agreement are "substantively unconscionable" but remanded a worker's discrimination case back to the trial court to determine if those provisions can be severed and the agreement can still be enforced.

  • July 15, 2024

    Bulk Billing Regs Could Hurt Lower-Income Tenants, FCC Told

    Tighter regulations on bulk billing in multitenant environments could make it harder for seniors, low-income households and students to afford high-speed internet service, industry representatives told the Federal Communications Commission.

  • July 15, 2024

    School Counselor's FMLA Suit Should Be Tossed, Judge Says

    A Georgia school district should be allowed to escape a former counselor's lawsuit alleging she was terminated for requesting time off to care for her sick husband, a federal judge said Monday, finding she couldn't overcome the district's explanation that she'd failed to correct performance issues despite multiple opportunities.

  • July 15, 2024

    Feds Outline Eligibility Criteria For Foreign Entrepreneur Rule

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided updated guidance on the requirements for foreign entrepreneurs to qualify for short-term immigration benefits under the International Entrepreneur Rule.

  • July 15, 2024

    Gun Mags Are Not 'Arms' Under Constitution, Wash. AG Says

    Washington's attorney general is urging the state Supreme Court to uphold a ban on sales of large-capacity magazines for firearms, arguing on Friday that the ammunition devices are not arms deserving of constitutional protection.

  • July 15, 2024

    3rd Circ. Wants Higher Bar For Halting Delaware Gun Laws

    The Third Circuit held Monday that courts have lowered the bar for issuing preliminary injunctions too much, allowing Delaware to keep its ban on "assault weapons" and extended magazines because the gun rights groups challenging the law hadn't met the burden of showing the harm necessary for "extraordinary relief."

  • July 15, 2024

    Airstrike Survivors Lose Bid To Block UAE's $23.4B Arms Sale

    A Washington, D.C., federal court dismissed an effort to block a $23.4 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates, saying the plaintiffs — survivors of a 2019 airstrike in Libya — hadn't shown a likelihood of getting attacked again.

  • July 15, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Review Toss Of Youths' Climate Case

    The Ninth Circuit has rejected youth plaintiffs' request for an en banc rehearing of a May ruling that dismissed their climate change suit against the U.S. government.

  • July 15, 2024

    Insurance Groups Want DOL Investment Advice Regs Blocked

    Several insurance groups urged a Texas federal court to halt the U.S. Department of Labor's new regulations that broaden who qualifies as a fiduciary under federal benefits law, saying the agency's new rule is no different from one the Fifth Circuit invalidated in 2018.

  • July 15, 2024

    4th Circ. Rejects Couple's $5.1M Easement Deduction

    The Fourth Circuit rejected Monday a married couple's bid to revive a claimed $5.1 million conservation easement deduction, saying it represented a "remarkable" attempt to inflate the value of a 41-acre property that was worth just $652,000 the year before they donated it.

  • July 15, 2024

    FTX Proposes $4B Settlement Of CFTC's Massive $52B Claim

    FTX Trading Ltd. asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to sign off on a settlement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, saying the agreement to allow the agency a $4 billion claim in its bankruptcy would end a fraud civil enforcement action and address the "most significant single creditor" in the crypto currency exchange's Chapter 11 case.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls

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    Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation

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    As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Preparing For CFPB 'Junk Fee' Push Into Mortgage Industry

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers expanding its "junk fee" initiative into mortgage closing costs, mortgage lenders and third parties must develop plans now that anticipate potential rulemaking or enforcement activity in this space, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.

  • Series

    After Chevron: EEOC Status Quo Will Likely Continue

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    As the legal landscape adjusts to the end of Chevron deference, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s rulemaking authority isn’t likely to shift as much as some other employment-related agencies, says Paige Lyle at FordHarrison.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Impact On Indian Law May Be Muted

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    Agency interpretations of Indian law statutes that previously stood the test of judicial review ​are likely to withstand new challenges even after the end of Chevron deference, but litigation in the area is all but certain, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Opinion

    Trump Immunity Ruling Upends Our Constitutional Scheme

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Trump v. U.S. decision elevates the president to imperial status and paves the way for nearly absolute presidential immunity from potential criminal prosecutions — with no constitutional textual support, says Paul Berman at the George Washington University Law School.

  • High Court Paves Middle Ground For Proceedings Obstruction

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Fischer sensibly leaves the door open for prosecutors to make more nuanced assessments as to whether defendants' actions directly or tangentially impair the availability or integrity of anything used in an official proceeding, without criminalizing acts such as peaceful demonstrations, say attorneys at Perry Law.

  • How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 brought two notable bills that will affect Florida's banking and finance community across many issues, including virtual currency abandonment, cancellation of financial services on the basis of political opinions, and the exemption amount of motor vehicles, say Joshua Prever and Andrew Balthazor at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FTC's 'Unfair Competition' Actions In Jeopardy

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's decision ending Chevron deference will have limited effect on the Federal Trade Commission's merger guidelines, administrative enforcement actions and commission decisions on appeal, it could restrict the agency's expansive take on its rulemaking authority and threaten the noncompete ban, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

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