Public Policy

  • August 26, 2024

    Cruz Accuses FCC Subsidies Of 'Burning Through Cash'

    Sen. Ted Cruz is pointing toward a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report that he says backs up his contention that the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund is "burning through cash with only minimal government oversight of its budget."

  • August 26, 2024

    Ex-Ingersoll Rand Exec Could Be Stuck With Noncompete

    A Colorado state court judge expressed her doubts Monday that the former chief executive of a company acquired by industrial products giant Ingersoll Rand could avoid repercussions for joining the only firm named in a noncompete agreement he signed, saying the executive hadn't done nearly enough to show the contract was unenforceable.

  • August 26, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Ex-FCC Republican Urges 6th Circ. To Tank Net Neutrality

    A former Republican on the Federal Communications Commission who helped overturn net neutrality rules when the agency leadership was in GOP hands has pressed the Sixth Circuit to snuff out the Democratic FCC's effort to revive the policy.

  • August 26, 2024

    Kyocera's Gross-Up Doesn't Grant $143M Tax Break, US Says

    Electronics maker Kyocera cannot be allowed to take a $143 million tax deduction for distributions received under a 2017 tax law based on a separate statute's gross-up for paid foreign tax credits, the government told a South Carolina federal court.

  • August 26, 2024

    Federal Lawmakers Demand USDA Fix Tribal Food Backlog

    A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is demanding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture take immediate action to restore food deliveries to tribal communities impacted by an unfolding crisis that they say has left some with expired or no food at all for months.

  • August 26, 2024

    NTIA To Work Closely With Private Sector On Spectrum

    The U.S. Department of Commerce's spectrum management branch has announced plans to meet with private sector interests every two months to develop national policies on use of the airwaves.

  • August 26, 2024

    Connecticut And NY AGs Reach Terms For Hospital Merger

    Two major hospital systems in New York and Connecticut have reached an agreement with their states' attorneys general to resolve an antitrust investigation spurred by the planned merger of Northwell Health and Nuvance Health, bringing the deal first announced in February closer to fruition.

  • August 26, 2024

    Mich. Supreme Court Race Takes Shape With GOP Picks

    Michigan Republicans nominated a circuit court judge and a state legislator for two seats on the state Supreme Court Saturday, after a lawyer facing criminal charges of tampering with voting machines withdrew from one of the races.

  • August 26, 2024

    GOP Sens. Applaud Removal Of Undersea Cable Hurdles

    Two Republican senators are celebrating the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's decision to press pause on requiring special permits for undersea cables to run through marine sanctuaries as a "major victory" after railing against red tape earlier this year.

  • August 26, 2024

    DC Judge Says Missouri AG Can't Investigate Media Matters

    A D.C. federal judge has again blocked a Republican attorney general from demanding a slew of records from liberal media watchdog Media Matters, this time halting a probe from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

  • August 26, 2024

    Racial Gaps In Mich. Judicial Discipline Process, Audit Finds

    Black judges in Michigan are more likely to be subject to a full misconduct investigation and receive "significantly" more grievances than their white counterparts, according to a preliminary audit from the National Center for State Courts.

  • August 26, 2024

    5th Circ. Holds Off On Gulf Fishery Council Rule Challenge

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday ordered a Mississippi federal judge to decide key issues that went unaddressed in his ruling upholding a fishing limit in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that new case law must be applied before it handles the appeal.

  • August 26, 2024

    Wild Ga. Horses Need Aid During Suit's Limbo, Advocates Say

    As a Georgia federal judge considers whether to scuttle a lawsuit alleging that a herd of feral horses on one of the state's coastal islands has been neglected and mistreated by federal authorities, the equine plaintiffs have asked the court to order the government to furnish them with emergency stores of food and drinking water.

  • August 26, 2024

    Feds Want Prison For Ex-Atlanta CFO Who Stole City Funds

    The former chief financial officer for the city of Atlanta who admitted to stealing city money and obstructing an IRS audit should spend at least about three years in prison, federal prosecutors argued ahead of his sentencing, saying he has been uncooperative since pleading guilty.

  • August 26, 2024

    FTC Mulls Proposal To Alter Puerto Rican Pharmacy Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission is considering a plan to allow Puerto Rico's largest independent pharmacy cooperative to resume collective negotiations with payors, reexamining a 2012 settlement agreement that the cooperative says is now unnecessary because of changes in the commonwealth's law and pharmacy market.

  • August 26, 2024

    Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024

    Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury. 

  • August 26, 2024

    Latino Nonprofit Drops Suit Over Houston At-Large Voting

    Civil rights organization LULAC has dropped a 2022 lawsuit against the city of Houston alleging that its at-large voting system for certain City Council positions discriminates against Latino voters.

  • August 26, 2024

    Canada Planning 100% Surtax On Chinese EVs, 25% On Steel

    Canada plans to implement a 100% surtax on imported Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% surtax on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a package intended to protect Canadian industry from unfair competition, the country's Department of Finance said Monday.

  • August 26, 2024

    Energy Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024

    Even after an action-packed first half of 2024, plenty of high-stakes energy litigation remains, including a new twist in the prolonged battle over climate change lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, as well as cases that could influence federal climate change policy. Here are several cases energy attorneys will be watching in the second half of the year.

  • August 26, 2024

    New Jersey Cases Attorneys Are Watching In 2024

    Jersey City is fighting the Garden State's cannabis legalization law and argues it conflicts with federal gun control legislation, while the bankrupt former chief financial officer of McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP is facing civil claims he defrauded the firm and paid himself millions in unauthorized salary.

  • August 23, 2024

    FDIC Says Ex-Lender Can't Have 3rd Bite At In-House Apple

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday urged a Washington, D.C., federal judge to reject a former small-business financier's bid to immediately halt an agency enforcement proceeding against him, saying a key recent U.S. Supreme Court decision doesn't apply to his case.

  • August 23, 2024

    Ohio Constitution Dooms 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period

    An Ohio state judge on Friday preliminarily blocked multiple Ohio civil and criminal abortion-related statutes requiring informed consent and a 24-hour waiting period, among other restrictions, finding that the statutes likely run afoul of the recently passed voter-backed state constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion.

  • August 23, 2024

    Afghan Supporters Say US Arbitrarily Delayed Parole Requests

    The U.S. government has been arbitrarily delaying action on requests of Afghans seeking humanitarian parole while expeditiously processing parole applications of those living in Ukraine, Cuba and Haiti for free and approving their travel authorizations, according to plaintiffs seeking to file an amended proposed class action in Massachusetts federal court.

  • August 23, 2024

    PE Fund Says SEC Is Overstepping With 'Fishing Expedition'

    A large South Carolina private equity fund has sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly overstepping its authority by trying to regulate the business' activities through an unconstitutional "fishing expedition" investigation that threatens the building of thousands of housing units.

  • August 23, 2024

    Google Pushes To Depose A Texas Official In Biometric Suit

    Google is crying foul in a state court of appeals over Texas' refusal to let it take a deposition of either a representative or an employee of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, saying in a petition that it was forced to defend itself without full discovery.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Steps To Address New Sanctions Time Bar Extension

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    Recent guidance from the Office of Foreign Assets Control clarifies details of the newly extended statute of limitations for civil and criminal enforcement of U.S. sanctions law, so compliance teams should implement key updates, including to lookback periods and recordkeeping policies, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Implementing Proposed AML Rules May Take More Guidance

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    Two recent rules proposed by financial regulators would modernize requirements for programs aimed at countering money laundering and terrorist financing by centering more robust risk assessments, but financial institutions may need more specific guidance before they could confidently comply, say Meghann Donahue and Nikhil Gore at Covington.

  • What To Know About Major Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Changes

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    The Florida Supreme Court recently amended the state's Rules of Civil Procedure, touching on pretrial procedure, discovery, motion and trial practice, and while the amendments are intended to streamline cases, the breadth of the changes may initially present some litigation growing pains, say Brian Briz, Benjamin Tyler and Yarenis Cruz at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • What To Expect From CFPB And DOT Card Rewards Inquiry

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    Following the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's announcement of joint efforts with the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate credit card rewards points, credit card issuers and airlines should keep a close eye on potential regulatory and class action litigation risks stemming from the inquiry, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Preparing For The NLRB's New Union Recognition Final Rule

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    The National Labor Relations Board's impending new final rule on union recognition puts the employer at a particular disadvantage in a decertification election, and best practices include conducting workplace assessments to identify and proactively address employee issues, say Louis Cannon and Gerald Bradner at Baker Donelson.

  • Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus

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    Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Remedy May Be Google's Biggest Hurdle Yet In Antitrust Case

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    There are difficulties ahead in the remedies phase of the antitrust case against Google in District of Columbia federal court, including the search engine giant's scale advantage and the fast-moving nature of the tech industry, setting the stage for the most challenging of the proceedings so far, says Jonathan Rubin at MoginRubin.

  • 3 Ways To Limit Risks Of Black-Box AI In Financial Services

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    As regulators increasingly highlight the potential for artificial intelligence to make unfair consumer credit decisions, and require financial institutions to explain how these so-called black-box algorithms arrive at conclusions, companies should consider three key questions to reduce their regulatory risks from these tools, say Jeffrey Naimon and Caroline Stapleton at Orrick.

  • Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges

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    Artificial intelligence promises new technical advantages for the energy industry, but it is also responsible for vast, and growing, energy consumption — so the future of AI and energy will require balancing technological advancement with regulatory oversight, environmental responsibility and infrastructure development, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Transpo Board Should Broaden Ex Parte Rules Further

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    The Surface Transportation Board's 2018 ex parte rule reform was an important step in increasing agency engagement with stakeholders — but the board should build on that progress by expanding the windows for communications in informal rulemakings, encouraging more communications with staff, and making other changes, say Matthew Warren and Allison Davis at Sidley.

  • The Regulatory Headwinds Facing Lab-Developed Tests

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's final rule regarding regulation of laboratory-developed tests outlines a four-year plan for ending enforcement discretion, and though this rule is currently being challenged in courts, manufacturers should heed compliance opportunities immediately as enforcement actions are already on the horizon, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.

  • 3 High Court Rulings May Shape Health Org. Litigation Tactics

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    Three separate decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term — Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy — will likely strengthen healthcare organizations' ability to affirmatively sue executive agencies to challenge regulations governing operations and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

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