Public Policy

  • December 10, 2024

    Utah Counties' Narrow NEPA Test Meets High Court Critics

    Utah counties looking to narrow courts' ability to review federal agencies' environmental analyses of proposed projects hit roadblocks Tuesday from skeptical U.S. Supreme Court justices and the U.S. Department of Justice, who said the proposed limits go too far.

  • December 10, 2024

    FinCEN Says CTA Still Constitutional In Post-Injunction Alert

    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has alerted companies that they do not currently need to file so-called beneficial ownership information with the agency after a federal judge's nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Corporate Transparency Act, though the bureau maintained that the law calling for such information is constitutional.

  • December 10, 2024

    Michigan Tribe Asks High Court To Undo Land Trust Order

    A Michigan tribe is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision that rejected its bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture outside Detroit, arguing that if the ruling is left to stand, it will forever impair its ability to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

  • December 10, 2024

    Pa. Deputy AG, Calif. Judge Confirmed To Federal Bench

    The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Keli M. Neary, an executive deputy attorney general for the state of Pennsylvania, to serve as a federal judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Judge Cynthia Valenzuela Dixon for the Central District of California.

  • December 10, 2024

    6th Circ. Wary Of Axing Fishing Pact Over Tribe's Objections

    A Sixth Circuit panel gave an icy reception Tuesday to a tribe's request that it unwind a Great Lakes fishing decree because the tribe was excluded from late-stage negotiations and denied a trial on its objections.

  • December 10, 2024

    Trump Taps Ferguson As FTC Chief, Kressin Atty To GOP Seat

    President-elect Donald Trump named current Federal Trade Commission member Andrew N. Ferguson to be its next chair Tuesday night while also picking Kressin Meador Powers LLC partner Mark Meador, a former deputy chief counsel to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to round out the FTC as its third Republican member.

  • December 10, 2024

    8th Circ. Remands Sexual Misconduct Removal Case

    The Eighth Circuit sent a Minnesota man's removal case back to immigration court for further review after finding that the third-degree sexual misconduct statute that he pled guilty to doesn't fall within the federal definition of rape that would allow him to be removed.

  • December 10, 2024

    Tribe Says Feds Cast Aside Calls For Consult On Ore. Casino

    A number of Indigenous communities, along with state and federal lawmakers are calling on the federal government to take a harder look at Oregon's first proposed off-reservation casino project before its final approval, saying requests for tribal consultation on the endeavor have been ignored for more than a decade.

  • December 10, 2024

    FTC's Holyoak Says Chair OK With Some Cartels

    Federal Trade Commissioner Melissa Holyoak said Lina Khan, the agency's current chair, is suggesting enforcers ignore anticompetitive activity if it's not being committed by what she considers "dominant firms."

  • December 10, 2024

    USTR To Probe Nicaragua For Labor, Human Rights Abuses

    The Office of the United States Trade Representative on Tuesday said it is planning to investigate reports of labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua, echoing concerns voiced by both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump about the country's government.

  • December 10, 2024

    FCC Cracks Down Again On Failures To Block Robocalls

    The Federal Communications Commission will consider tougher compliance rules to ensure voice service providers take part in efforts to cut robocalls, also saying Tuesday that more than 2,400 providers could face enforcement action for failing to meet existing filing requirements.

  • December 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge Criticizes SF's 'Arbitrary' COVID Vax Mandate

    A Ninth Circuit panel doubted Tuesday whether a district judge followed the appellate panel's prior order requiring him to reconsider ex-San Francisco public employees' injunction bid in their civil rights case challenging the city's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, with one judge criticizing the city's since-expired worker vax mandate as "arbitrary."

  • December 10, 2024

    AGs Urge FCC To Remove 'Pain' From Customer Service Calls

    A coalition of state attorneys general called Tuesday for the Federal Communications Commission to take some of the "pain" out of customer service calls in FCC-regulated industries from internet and voice calls to broadcast satellite.

  • December 10, 2024

    Mass. Chief Justice Says Courts Must Work To Improve Trust

    In an era of declining public confidence in the justice system, Massachusetts' state courts are generally held in high regard for fairness and access, yet they still have work to do, the chief justice of the state's highest court told attorneys on Tuesday.

  • December 10, 2024

    NJ Panel Revives Union's Suit Over Sick Leave Policies

    A New Jersey appeals court upended Jersey City's win in a firefighters union's lawsuit challenging two city policies pertaining to sick leave, finding Tuesday the union put forward enough information to defeat the city's dismissal bid.

  • December 10, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Overturns VA Rule On 'Special' Ambulance Rates

    The Federal Circuit has vacated a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rule effectively reducing the rates the VA pays for "noncontract" ambulance services for disabled veterans, saying the rule exceeded the agency's statutory authority.

  • December 10, 2024

    Crypto Groups Rally Against Reappointing SEC's Crenshaw

    Cryptocurrency industry groups are pushing back on a potential second term for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw with an online ad campaign and letters to lawmakers ahead of a Senate Banking Committee vote Wednesday on the Democrat's confirmation.

  • December 10, 2024

    DHS Makes Automatic Work Permit Extensions Permanent

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it's permanently increasing the automatic extension period for expiring work authorization to 540 days, giving a boost to eligible immigrant workers who may otherwise confront a lapse in their permission to work.

  • December 10, 2024

    NY DA Says Trump's 'President-Elect Immunity Does Not Exist'

    Prosecutors told the New York state judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money case that "president-elect immunity does not exist" and that the court could delay sentencing — or even "terminate" the case without dismissing it.

  • December 10, 2024

    Ex-Denver Juvenile Judge Censured For Drinking On The Job

    Colorado justices have censured a former state judge on Denver's juvenile court after he fired an employee who reported him for drinking while he was supposed to be working.

  • December 10, 2024

    Judge Says Indiana Grid Project Law Is Discriminatory

    An Indiana federal judge has blocked the state's right of first refusal law granting Indiana-based utilities the first attempt at securing new transmission project contracts in the state, saying the law discriminates against out-of-state economic interests.

  • December 10, 2024

    NC High Court Candidate Wants In On Ballot Count Fight

    North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, a state Supreme Court candidate, asked a federal court to let him intervene in the state Democrats' suit seeking to block challenges he and other Republican candidates have filed against 60,000 ballots, stating the case's result will decide his race.

  • December 10, 2024

    NY AG Refuses To Drop $489M Fraud Case Against Trump

    The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced it won't drop its civil financial fraud case against President-elect Donald Trump, two of his sons, his companies and their executives, saying his upcoming inauguration has no bearing on litigating his appeal of the $489 million judgment.

  • December 10, 2024

    $24.6B Kroger-Albertsons Merger Blocked By 2 Judges

    Kroger's planned $24.6 billion purchase of Albertsons suffered double whammy blows Tuesday, first from an Oregon federal judge who temporarily blocked the deal in a Federal Trade Commission challenge, and then from a Washington state judge who sided with the state's attorney general and issued a permanent, national block.

  • December 10, 2024

    NY Appealing Judge's Dismissal Of Plastic Pollution Suit

    New York Attorney General Letitia James is appealing a harshly worded ruling that dismissed her suit against PepsiCo Inc. and its Frito-Lay subsidiary over plastic pollution on the Buffalo River.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    With the implementation of H.B. 989, the third quarter of 2024 has been transformative for banking law and regulation in Florida, and this new law places a strong emphasis on fair access to banking, and prohibits ideologically or politically motivated decisions by financial institutions, says Sha’Ron James at Gunster.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

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