Public Policy

  • 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."

  • December 16, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear 3rd Circ. CFPB Student Loan Trust Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it would leave in place a lower court decision allowing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to sue securitization trusts over their servicers' treatment of borrowers, declining to take up a challenge to the scope of the agency's enforcement authority.

Expert Analysis

  • FDIC Guidance Puts Next-Gen ATMs In Regulatory Spotlight

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    The boring existence of ATMs is changing thanks to the emergence of new-age interactive teller machines, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to sound off in a potentially influential August letter to branches on which services might need regulatory approval, says Thomas Walker at Jones Walker.

  • Opinion

    Tariffs' Economic Downsides Outweigh Potential Revenue

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    Import tariffs proposed by the campaign of former president Donald Trump would generate revenue like other taxes, but policymakers must consider the net-negative impact of associated consumer and downstream-industry costs, harm to exporters, potential foreign retaliation and reduction in economic output, says Erica York at the Tax Foundation.

  • Comments Show Need For Clarity On SBA Proposed Rule

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    The recent public comments period for the Small Business Administration's proposed rule on recertification and other regulations underscores the need for more precision, particularly on agreements in principle, which the SBA should address as it moves forward with this rulemaking, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Amazon Holiday Pay Case Underscores Overtime Challenges

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    The recent Hamilton v. Amazon.com Services LLC decision in the Colorado Supreme Court underscores why employers must always consult applicable state law and regulations — in addition to federal law — when determining how to properly pay employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek, says James Looby at Vedder Price.

  • Understanding New ACH Network Anti-Fraud Rules

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    Many of the National Automated Clearing House Association’s recent amendments to ACH network risk management rules went into effect this month, so financial institutions and corporations must review and update their internal policies as needed, says Aisha Hall at Taft.

  • The OIG Report: Bad Timing For FEC To Be Underresourced

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    With less than two weeks to the election, the Federal Election Commission’s job has never been more urgent, but a report from its Office of the Inspector General earlier this year found that the agency is facing a resource squeeze that will only get worse without corrective action, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • What To Know About New Employment Laws In Fla.

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    Florida employers should familiarize themselves with recent state laws, and also federal legislation, on retirement benefits, teen labor and heat exposure, with special attention to prohibitions against minors performing dangerous tasks, as outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act, say Katie Molloy and Cayla Page at Greenberg Traurig.

  • The Key To Solving High Drug Costs Is Understanding Causes

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    One-sided views on who or what contributes to the high cost of pharmaceuticals render possible solutions much harder to discover and implement, and a better approach would be to examine history and learn why costs have increased and what legislation has and hasn't helped, says Nancy Linck at NJ Linck Consulting.

  • Election Unlikely To Overhaul Antitrust Enforcers' Labor Focus

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    Although the outcome of the presidential election may alter the course of antitrust enforcement in certain areas of the economy, scrutiny of labor markets by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to remain largely unaffected — with one notable exception, say Jared Nagley and Joy Siu at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Immigration Attys Should Prep For A 2nd Trump Term

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    In light of the possibility of a drastic policy shift under a second Trump administration, immigration lawyers must review what Trump did during his first term, assess who would be most affected if those policies return and develop legal strategies to safeguard their clients' interests, says Adam Moses at Harris Beach.

  • Anticipating Jarkesy's Effect On Bank Agency Enforcement

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, federal courts may eventually issue decisions on banking law principles and processes that could fundamentally alter the agencies' enforcement action framework, and the relationship between banks and examiners, says Brendan Clegg at Luse Gorman.

  • CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers

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    With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement

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    Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

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