Public Policy

  • December 13, 2024

    Texas AG Sues NY Doctor Over Telehealth Abortion Script

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor who founded the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine in the Lone Star State Friday, accusing the physician of violating Texas state abortion laws by providing abortion-inducing prescription drugs to a Texas resident via telehealth.

  • December 13, 2024

    Wis. Tribe Challenges Enbridge Pipeline Reroute Permits

    The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on Thursday sued Wisconsin environmental officials over permits given to Enbridge Inc. to reroute part of its controversial Line 5 pipeline around the tribe's reservation and build a new segment in the area.

  • December 13, 2024

    Calif. Justices Won't Undo Judge's Ouster Over Misconduct

    The California Supreme Court has decided not to overturn a state judge's removal from the bench for conducting a campaign of retaliation against court employees he suspected of being "moles."

  • December 13, 2024

    Menendez, 2 Co-Defendants Lose Bids For New Bribery Trial

    A Manhattan federal judge on Friday rejected bids by former Sen. Bob Menendez and two co-defendants for a new trial, ruling there is no manifest injustice after the ex-senator argued the government failed to offer any evidence of how he used his office's power to benefit any of the alleged bribe givers.

  • December 13, 2024

    Construction Co. Fights Stay In Small Biz Qui Tam Suit

    The owners of a construction firm accused in a whistleblower suit of defrauding a program for disadvantaged small businesses objected to a request to delay the suit while the Eleventh Circuit considers the appeal of another suit that resulted in a controversial decision deeming the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act unconstitutional.

  • December 13, 2024

    Off The Bench: PE Buys In On NFL, WWE Abuse Suit Back On

    In this week's Off The Bench, two teams usher in a new era for the NFL by bringing in private equity investors, a suit accusing the WWE and Vince McMahon of sexual abuse and trafficking picks back up while a federal investigation continues, and a private equity giant and NHL owner passes away.

  • December 13, 2024

    Justices To Decide If Industry Can Test Calif. Auto Waiver

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday granted fossil fuel industry groups' request to review a decision backing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program, but the justices won't consider the legality of the waiver itself.

  • December 13, 2024

    Trump Rips DA's 'Dark Dream' To Legally Treat Him As Dead

    Donald Trump's attorneys Friday slammed a proposal by the Manhattan district attorney to preserve the president-elect's hush money conviction by treating him like a defendant who dies after a verdict, pushing the judge to dismiss the case altogether.

  • December 13, 2024

    Lawmakers Press Tech Giants As TikTok D-Day Looms

    A pair of lawmakers on Friday leaned on TikTok to ensure it meets a Jan. 19 deadline to sell its operations or face a U.S. ban, while also pressing tech giants Apple and Google to be prepared to deplatform the video-sharing app if it refuses to sell.

  • December 13, 2024

    White House Reviewing 2nd Half Of H-1B Modernization Rule

    With just over a month to go before the inauguration, the White House is reviewing the second half of a regulation to overhaul the H-1B temporary visa program for specialty occupations, the last step before the rule can be finalized.

  • December 13, 2024

    Minn. Senior Home's Tax Appeal Nixed For Lack Of Info

    A Minnesota senior living community failed to provide a local assessor with required income and expense information related to its property tax appeal, the Minnesota Tax Court said, dismissing the case.

  • December 12, 2024

    Vidal Reflects On USPTO Achievements As She Leaves Office

    Kathi Vidal will serve her last day as U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director on Friday and rejoin her former firm, Winston & Strawn LLP, on Monday. She talked to Law360 as she prepared her exit from the agency, with internal changes top of mind as she looked back on her tenure.

  • December 12, 2024

    Sens. Say Bipartisan Efforts Possible For Telecom In 2025

    Key lawmakers who work on telecom policy suggested Thursday that Capitol Hill could come together in a bipartisan way next year to tackle some important issues left outstanding from the Biden era, including permitting reform to spur broadband expansion.

  • December 12, 2024

    Ballot Issue Group Can't Nose Into Ark. Casino Measure Suit

    The ballot issue committee backing an Arkansas amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business's casino license can't intervene in the tribal entity's challenge that looks to block the law, a federal district court judge said Thursday, arguing that it has not adequately refuted the presumption that the state can defend its rights.

  • December 12, 2024

    Pawnbroker Pleads Guilty To Bribing Ex-Newark Deputy Mayor

    A Garden State pawnbroker and jeweler admitted in New Jersey federal court Thursday that he took part in a bribery scheme to influence a former Newark official regarding the acquisition and redevelopment of city-owned properties.

  • December 12, 2024

    Electric Co-Ops Oppose Proposed FCC Customer Service Regs

    The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is adding its name to the list of those who think the Federal Communications Commission's plan to impose new rules surrounding customer service is a bad idea.

  • December 12, 2024

    Bitcoin Investor Gets 2 Years For Tax Fraud In Landmark Case

    An investor who concealed millions of dollars he earned in bitcoin and became the first person criminally charged for failing to report gains from the sale of cryptocurrency by filing false returns was sentenced to two years in federal prison Thursday.

  • December 12, 2024

    Sierra Club-EPA Row Has 6th Circ. Debating Smog Data

    A Sixth Circuit judge questioned Thursday whether a Sierra Club challenge over Detroit's air quality was "a debate over the science" as opposed to the law, as the group fights federal regulators' determination that air pollution in the area is under control.

  • December 12, 2024

    SEC Will Be GOP-Only Without Crenshaw's Vote, Groups Warn

    More than 40 organizations sent a collective letter to U.S. senators in support of Democrat Caroline Crenshaw's reconfirmation to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, a day after Senate Republicans blocked a closed-door vote on her nomination.

  • December 12, 2024

    Texas AG Targets Instagram, Reddit Over Youth Data Security

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that his office is looking into minors' privacy and safety policies of more than a dozen tech companies, including Character.AI, Reddit and Instagram, as part of his long-running campaign to stop companies from selling minors' personal information without permission from their parents.

  • December 12, 2024

    Mich. Judge Hesitant To Rule On $217M Dam Repair Tax

    A Michigan federal judge sounded reluctant Thursday to make a decision about whether a $217 million dam repair tax assessment violated homeowners' constitutional rights before a state appellate panel rules on the homeowners' challenge to the assessment in a parallel case over properties affected by flooding from the 2020 Edenville Dam collapse.

  • December 12, 2024

    Wash. Judge Weighs Stay Of Gas Reg Suit Amid New Cases

    A Seattle federal judge hinted on Thursday she might pause a building industry coalition's lawsuit challenging Washington regulations discouraging the use of natural gas appliances in new construction, pointing to fresh litigation in state court that could force regulators to revise the rules in the wake of an initiative voters passed in November.

  • December 12, 2024

    NY Judge Bars Pot Regulator From Processing Retail Apps

    A New York state judge Thursday ordered cannabis regulators to stop processing applications submitted by would-be marijuana sellers who did not secure a location for their proposed pot shop before November of last year, leaving hundreds of prospective retailers in limbo.

  • December 12, 2024

    AT&T Exec Can't Get Bribery Acquittal After Jury Deadlocks

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday denied a former AT&T executive's bid for acquittal on charges he bribed ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan after his case resulted in a hung jury earlier this year, saying the government presented sufficient evidence of a quid pro quo.

  • December 12, 2024

    Feds Weigh In On High Court North Dakota Voting Dispute

    Two local North Dakota Republican Party officials lack standing to claim racial gerrymandering in a dispute over the state's newly created voting subdistricts, the federal government told the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing there's undisputed evidence to conclude that federal law requires the state to establish the boundaries.

Expert Analysis

  • New TCPA Rule Faces Uncertain Future Post-Loper Bright

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    The Federal Communications Commission's new rule aiming to eliminate lead generators' use of unlawful robocalls is now in doubt with the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, and the Eleventh Circuit's Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC is poised to be a test case of the agency's ability to enforce the Telephone Consumer Protection Act post-Chevron, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • A Look At Calif.'s New AI Law For Health Insurers

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    A newly enacted California law prohibits artificial intelligence tools from making medical necessity determinations for healthcare service plans or disability insurers, addressing core questions that have arisen around AI's role in coverage decisions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • New HHS Research Misconduct Rules Bring Seismic Changes

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new rule regarding research misconduct investigations brings significant changes that focus on remediation, appeals and confidentiality, while other changes could result in institutions causing undue harm to scientists accused of such misconduct, say attorneys at Cohen Seglias.

  • To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations

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    A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.

  • Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork

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    Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean

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    A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk

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    The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.

  • What's Inside Feds' Latest Bank Merger Review Proposals

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    Recent bank merger proposals from a trio of federal agencies highlight the need for banks looking to grow through acquisition to consider several key issues much earlier in the planning process than has historically been necessary, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Cos. Should Focus On State AI Laws Despite New DOL Site

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    Because a new U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website about the disability discrimination risks of AI hiring tools mostly echoes old guidance, employers should focus on complying with the state and local AI workplace laws springing up where Congress and federal regulators have yet to act, say attorneys at Littler.

  • How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next

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    The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

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    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

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