Public Policy

  • January 03, 2025

    FDIC 'Pause' Letters Focused On Banks' Crypto Activity

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation directed banks to pause the development of certain crypto products and services in 2022 but stopped short of scrutinizing banks' decisions to provide traditional services to crypto-focused customers, according to documents released by the regulator on Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    States Debate High Court Solution To Election Map Catch-22

    Louisiana has implored the U.S. Supreme Court to decisively resolve litigation over its federal election map in one of three ways, suggesting the justices could toss the case on standing, decide the merits, or, preferably, find that federal courts have no role in refereeing redistricting disputes.

  • January 03, 2025

    Student Loan Servicer Gets CFPB Deal Paused Amid Appeal

    Student-loan servicer Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency can pause its work on fulfilling a settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while an appeal to the Third Circuit of an "intertwined" settlement with the loan holders plays out, a federal judge ruled Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    NY Org. Settles, Churchill Downs Still In Horse Racing Fee Suit

    The New York Racing Association has settled its portion of a federal suit accusing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority of imposing illegal and unconstitutional fees on racetrack operators, while Churchill Downs remains in the court fight against the federally sanctioned private organization.

  • January 03, 2025

    Calif. Tribes Sue Casino Card Rooms Under New Law

    Seven California tribes are taking advantage of a new state law that prohibits games in card rooms to sue a slew of private casinos, accusing them of brazenly profiting from illegal gambling.

  • January 03, 2025

    FTC Dems Eye Merger Review, Noncompete Legacy

    Federal Trade Commission Democrats started the new year with legacy on the brain, urging the soon-to-be Republican majority in a pair of statements to preserve their more "stringent approach" to merger review and their currently blocked ban on employment noncompete agreements, despite heavy criticism both received from their GOP peers.

  • January 03, 2025

    Pa. Court Says State Can Bar Compromised Voting Machines

    Pennsylvania's top election official had the power to rescind Fulton County's permission to use its Dominion electronic voting machines, after county officials allowed third parties to inspect them following the 2020 election, a state appellate court has ruled.

  • January 03, 2025

    Honeygrow Accused Of Taxing Bottled Water At Pa. Location

    Philadelphia-based restaurant chain Honeygrow unjustly profited from charging 6% sales tax for bottled water at one of its locations in violation of Pennsylvania law, a new class action lawsuit filed in state court alleged.

  • January 03, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Bias Suit Over SBA Small Biz Program

    A disabled veteran's constitutional challenge to a Small Business Administration contracting program over racial bias concerns must fail because the veteran didn't actually qualify for the program, the Fourth Circuit ruled Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    Wash. City Fights Order To Keep ER Tribal Shelter Open

    The city of Toppenish, Washington, is asking a federal district court to withdraw an order allowing the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation to operate a 24-hour emergency shelter, arguing that the criminal nature of regulations governing the facility preclude the tribe's arguments on the present situation.

  • January 03, 2025

    Biden Signs Bill To Stop Convicted Lawmakers' Pensions

    President Joe Biden has signed a law that would close a "loophole" to prevent former members of Congress convicted of certain crimes from receiving pensions during their appeals process.

  • January 03, 2025

    GOP Defends FEC Discretion To Ax Campaign Finance Cases

    The GOP is backing the Federal Election Commission's bid to preserve a line of D.C. Circuit cases barring judges from second-guessing the commission's refusal to take enforcement actions, urging the en banc appeals court to safeguard "the careful, conscious congressional plan for the agency."

  • January 03, 2025

    FCC Republicans Slam Marketplace Report As Falling Short

    Republicans who are set to take control of the Federal Communications Commission blasted an agency report on the state of the communications marketplace, saying it fails to take into account the convergence of various broadband technologies.

  • January 03, 2025

    Split NC Panel Says Video Sweepstakes Games Are Unlawful

    A split North Carolina appellate panel has ruled that a company's video sweepstakes kiosks violate state prohibitions on luck-based gambling and that a lower court should have allowed regulators to take the machines out of service.

  • January 03, 2025

    Calif. Captive Audience Meeting Ban Hit With Legal Challenge

    Two California business groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the state's new ban on so-called captive audience meetings, saying the statute is preempted by federal law and interferes with companies' constitutional rights to express their views on unionization.

  • January 03, 2025

    Treasury Unveils Flexible Final Regs For Hydrogen Tax Credit

    The U.S. Treasury Department released final rules Friday for hydrogen production tax credits that allow fuel produced using nuclear-generated electricity or methane to qualify for the incentive, making the regulations more flexible than what was proposed last year.

  • January 03, 2025

    NY Judge To Sentence Trump Jan. 10 But Says Prison Unlikely

    A New York state judge said Friday he will sentence Donald Trump on Jan. 10 after rejecting his motion to dismiss his hush money conviction in light of his status as president-elect, but suggested a prison term is highly unlikely.

  • January 03, 2025

    FCC Hits Broadband Co. With $56K Fine For Default

    The Federal Communications Commission has ordered an Illinois broadband provider to shell out more than $56,000 for allegedly defaulting on obligations under a federal program to expand high-speed internet service in unserved regions.

  • January 03, 2025

    Conn. Politician's Jail Dates Loom In Ballot Fraud Case

    A Connecticut ex-politician will be allowed to self-surrender for three upcoming weekends behind bars in Rhode Island after he admitted to running a ballot fraud scheme, a federal judge has ruled ahead of the first report-to-jail date, Jan. 10.

  • January 03, 2025

    Ore., Calif. Tribes Can't Stop Casino Project

    A D.C. federal district court judge denied a bid by three tribes to block the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing a determination that would greenlight a casino project in Oregon, saying the environmental impact statement for the endeavor does not constitute a final agency action.

  • January 03, 2025

    FCC Says Cash On Way Soon For 'Rip And Replace'

    The Federal Communications Commission says the additional $3.08 billion for its "rip and replace" program to get Chinese telecommunications equipment out of the nation's networks is on its way and will soon close a wide gap between what was originally allocated for the program and what telecoms say they need.

  • January 03, 2025

    Menendez Cites 'Good Deeds' In Bid To Avoid Prison

    Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has asked a Manhattan federal judge not to sentence him to prison after he was convicted of bribery and corruption in July, saying a "lifetime of good deeds and good character" and a low likelihood of future offenses merit leniency.

  • January 03, 2025

    Biden Honors Del. Jurist For Role In Brown V. Board Ruling

    President Joe Biden issued a top civilian award, posthumously, to former Chancellor Collins J. Seitz of Delaware Chancery Court, father of the state's current chief justice, for his role in decisions woven into the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling.

  • January 03, 2025

    Calif. Panel Says PAGA Suits Always Have Individual Claims

    A delivery worker's individual claims against Target's shipping partner under California's Private Attorneys General Act belong in arbitration, a state appellate panel said, disagreeing with a trial court's decision that her suit only had representative claims.

  • January 02, 2025

    FTC Asks 5th Circ. To Revive Noncompete Ban

    The Federal Trade Commission told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday the agency is authorized to make rules like the one that would ban enforcement of most employee noncompetes, arguing that a Texas district court took a "cramped view" of the agency's authority to promulgate rules that define unfair competition methods.

Expert Analysis

  • What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector

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    Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Preserving The FCA Is Crucial In Trump's 2nd Term

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    While the Trump administration may pursue weaker False Claims Act enforcement, it remains an essential tool in safeguarding public funds and maintaining corporate accountability, so now is not the time to undermine ethical behavior, or reduce protections and incentives for whistleblowers, says Adam Pollock at Pollock Cohen.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • High Court 'Violent Crimes' Case Tangled Up In Hypotheticals

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    In Delligatti v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on whether attempted murder constitutes a crime of violence, and because the court’s interpretive approach thus far has relied on hairsplitting legal hypotheticals with absurd results, Congress should repeal the underlying statute, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • Dissecting New Circuit Split Over SEC's Proxy Adviser Rule

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    The Sixth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's partial rescission of enhanced conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for proxy voting advice businesses, creating a circuit split over broader questions concerning the standard for assessing the legality of agency actions in general, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • Tracking The Slow Movement Of AI Copyright Cases

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    The tech community may be expecting a prompt resolution on whether products generated by artificial intelligence are a fair use of copyrighted works, but legal history shows that a response to this question — at the heart of over 30 pending cases — will take years, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Federal Salary History Ban's Reach Is Limited

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    Though a newly effective Office of Personnel Management rule takes important steps by banning federal employers from considering job applicants' nonfederal salary histories, the rule's narrow applicability and overconfidence in the existing system's fairness will likely not end persistent pay inequities, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Call For Input Shows How Banks, Fintechs Can Address Risks

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    A recent request for information by federal banking regulators suggests that watchdogs are zeroing in on the bank-fintech partnerships they have long perceived as risky to consumers, but analyzing the publication can help companies anticipate regulators’ chief concerns and take steps to avoid becoming enforcement targets, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic

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    Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Considering Chevron's End Through A State Tax Lens

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    States took the lead in encouraging Chevron's demise, turning away from Chevron-type deference in state tax administration ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, a trend likely to accelerate as courts take a more active role in interpreting tax laws, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • NYC Hotel Licensing Law's Costs May Outweigh Its Benefits

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    A hotel licensing bill recently approved by New York's City Council could lead to the loss of many nonunionized hotels that cannot afford to comply, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • The Unfolding Potential of Green Hydrogen In Brazil

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    A new federal law in Brazil establishing a legal framework for hydrogen development is the country's latest step toward creating a favorable environment for green hydrogen production, but significant challenges — including high production costs, technological hurdles and a lack of infrastructure — remain, says David Andrew Taylor at Almeida Advogados.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How New OCC Priorities Will Affect Bank Compliance

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    With the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently releasing a new bank supervision plan for fiscal year 2025, all banks, not only those primarily supervised by the OCC, should consider how compliance with its guidelines creates opportunities and challenges, says Andrew Karp at Cadwalader.

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