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Public Policy
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January 01, 2025
6 Pivotal Texas Bills To Watch In 2025
Texas lawmakers have filed a litany of bills to debate in the New Year that would expand access to the state bar, emulate the end of the Chevron doctrine for state agencies and add new layers to the judicial complaint process. Here are six key proposals in the state legislature that attorneys should watch closely.
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January 01, 2025
Gov't Contracts Policies To Watch In 2025
There are several planned and potential changes to federal procurement policy that government contractors need to be on watch for in 2025, from pending recommendations of a proposed Elon Musk-led advisory body on government efficiency, to key definitions underpinning cybersecurity and domestic sourcing rules.
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January 01, 2025
M&A Attys Bullish About 2025 Despite Global Tensions
Industry attorneys are optimistic about mergers and acquisitions moving into 2025 following a year with plenty of megadeals, modest upticks in deal values and volumes, interest rate cuts, and a Donald Trump reelection that is expected to bring pro-business policies and a reduction in regulatory red tape.
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January 01, 2025
Top 4 Climate Change Cases to Watch in 2025
The New Year could see federal appellate courts deciding cases with ramifications for the government’s approach to climate change regulations, including U.S. Supreme Court cases on the scope of environmental reviews and municipalities’ rights in suing fossil fuel companies. Here are the biggest climate change cases that environmental and energy lawyers must watch in 2025.
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January 01, 2025
Top Climate Change Policies To Watch in 2025
The incoming Trump administration is expected to hit the ground running in the New Year to roll back Biden-era rules taking aim at climate change and industries that rely on fossil fuels. Here are key climate change policies to watch in 2025.
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January 01, 2025
Transportation Regulation & Legislation To Watch In 2025
The Trump administration's expected rollback of rules intended to slash vehicle emissions and accelerate electric vehicle adoption, alongside a spate of new tariffs impacting the supply chain, are just some of the transportation industry's top regulatory priorities to watch in 2025.
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December 28, 2024
Trump Seeks High Court's Pause Of TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law
President-elect Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to freeze the impending deadline for TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban, suggesting his new administration could negotiate a deal that would end the need for the congressional mandate.
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December 23, 2024
Biden Vetoes Bill To Add New Judgeships
President Joe Biden vetoed a bill Monday that would have added more federal judgeships, despite the judiciary's plea that more seats on the bench are needed desperately.
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December 23, 2024
HHS Can't Enforce Abortion Privacy Rule Against Texas Doctor
A Texas federal judge has granted a Lone Star State doctor a reprieve from a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that aims to protect the privacy of abortion providers and patients, saying that the rule likely exceeds the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's statutory authority.
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December 23, 2024
DOL Wants Full 9th Circ. Review Of Contractor Wage Ruling
A split Ninth Circuit panel decision that blocked President Joe Biden from raising federal contractors' minimum wage to $15 an hour shrinks the president's power, the U.S. Department of Labor said, urging the full appellate court to step in.
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December 23, 2024
Google Counters DOJ's Proposed Chrome Sale
Google has countered the Justice Department's proposed divestiture of the Chrome browser in a brief filed in D.C. federal court arguing the proper fix for its illegal search monopoly would be to allow Android phone makers and browser companies the ability to more readily pick rival engines.
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December 23, 2024
'Tragedy To Farce': Menendez Makes 3rd New Trial Bid
Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two co-defendants, convicted of bribery in July, have made a third push for a new trial in Manhattan federal court, contending that the government's latest admission of an evidence gaffe bolstered their case.
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December 23, 2024
Trump Taps Ex-Homeland Security Atty As DOJ Chief Of Staff
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Chad Mizelle, who formerly held top legal roles at Trump's Department of Homeland Security and is married to Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle, as chief of staff at the Department of Justice.
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December 23, 2024
Treasury Proposes Contingent Fee Regs For Tax Pros
Tax professionals who practice before the IRS and charge clients contingent fees in connection with preparing returns will be subject to sanctions for disreputable conduct under rules proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department that also require practitioners to be competent in new technology.
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December 23, 2024
Biden Targets Chinese Chip Industry In Sweeping Trade Probe
The Biden administration opened an investigation into China's semiconductor industry Monday, setting the stage for potential new sanctions against Beijing over its purported use of unfair trade practices to dominate the global microchip market.
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December 23, 2024
House Report Says Gaetz Paid For Sex, Accepted Gifts
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz regularly paid women for sex, including with one 17-year-old girl, used illicit drugs and accepted a trip to the Bahamas in excess of permissible gift amounts, according to a report released Monday morning by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
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December 20, 2024
Banks, Not Credit Cos., Can Duck New Ill. Fee Law For Now
An Illinois federal judge ruled Friday that credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard must comply with Illinois' landmark law restricting certain credit card fees; however, she also held that national banks and federal savings associations aren't subject to the law, at least for now.
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December 20, 2024
Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit
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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December 20, 2024
SEC's Dealer Rule Loss Is A Lesson To Regulators, Atty Says
A Sullivan & Cromwell LLP attorney who successfully litigated a crypto industry challenge to vacate a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule expanding the definition of dealer said the Texas federal judge's decision is another block in the recent chain of court decisions warning federal agencies to refrain from stretching old statutory terms to reach new contexts that aren't clearly within their authority.
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December 20, 2024
Sens. Aim To Protect Generics With Skinny Labels In New Bill
A bipartisan group of senators from Colorado, Arkansas, Vermont and Maine have introduced a bill that would shield generic-drug and biosimilar manufacturers from infringement liability when using approved "skinny labels."
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December 20, 2024
RealPage Can't Transfer Enforcers' Rent-Fix Case Out Of NC
RealPage cannot get the government's antitrust case against it moved either to the Tennessee court overseeing similar civil litigation or to Texas, where the rental software maker is headquartered, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Friday.
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December 20, 2024
Texas AG Blocks Roberson Legislative Testimony
Texas state representatives on Friday slammed Attorney General Ken Paxton's last-minute effort to block testimony from a man on death row after his 2-year-old daughter died from what was diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome.
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December 20, 2024
Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor
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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December 20, 2024
Cable Org. Warns Members About FCC Robocall Enforcement
Voice service providers need to make sure their Robocall Mitigation Database filings meet existing requirements, because if they aren't, the Federal Communications Commission is ready to start delisting companies and blocking them from providing voice service.
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December 20, 2024
Justice Reformers Wary Of Trump's Return, Yet Hope Persists
While President-elect Donald Trump's impending return to the White House has many criminal justice reformers preparing for battle, given his scorched-earth rhetoric on crime and immigration on the campaign trail, hope for meaningful change persists in varying degrees among advocates after Trump's backing of reform legislation during his first term.
Expert Analysis
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5 Ways SEC's Crypto Approach Could Change Under Trump
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.
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Health Policy Predictions For Trump's Second Administration
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.
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Opinion
FTC Actions In Oil Cases Go Against Its Own Rulemaking
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.
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How Global Data Center Regs May Influence US Policies
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.
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Key Points From New Maritime Oil Price Cap Advisory
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.
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Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules
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.
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Opinion
Justices Should Squash Bid To Criminalize Contract Breaches
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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'Reverse Redlining' Suit Reveals Language Risks For Lenders
The Justice Department's case against consumer finance provider Colony Ridge highlights the government's focus on lending to consumers with limited English proficiency and the risks of generating marketing materials in other languages while conducting actual transactions in English, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Trump Patent Policy May Be Headed In Unexpected Direction
While commentators have assumed that the patent policy of President-elect Donald Trump's second administration will largely mirror the pro-patent policy of his first, these predictions fail to take into account the likely oversized influence of Elon Musk, says Jorge Contreras at the University of Utah.
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NLRB One-Two Punch Curbs Employer Anti-Organizing Tools
The National Labor Relations Board’s recent decisions in Siren Retail and Amazon, limiting employer speech about the impact of unionization and outlawing captive audience meetings, severely curtail employers' arsenal of tools to combat an organizing campaign — though this may soon change under a new administration, say attorneys at Benesch.
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Mitigating Defamation Liability Risks Of AI-Generated Content
Until Congress and the courts provide clear guidance about defamation liability stemming from generative artificial intelligence tools, companies should begin building controls to prevent the creation of defamatory content, says Michael Gerrity at Accenture.
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Key Requirements In New Maryland Pay Transparency Laws
Although several jurisdictions now require pay transparency in job advertisements, Maryland's new law is among the broadest in the country, both in terms of what is required and the scope of its applicability, says Sarah Belger at Quarles & Brady.
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What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration
Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.
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Takeaways From Final Regulations For China Investment Ban
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s final rule banning U.S. investment in emerging Chinese technology clarifies some key requirements, includes additional exceptions for covered transactions and attempts to address concerns that the rule will put U.S. businesses at a competitive disadvantage, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.