Public Policy

  • 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.

  • January 02, 2025

    Calif. Judge Ices Social Media Addiction Law For 30 Days

    A California federal judge Thursday blocked the state from beginning its enforcement of a new law designed to bar online platforms from using algorithms to deliver addictive feeds to children, finding there was "great value" in giving the Ninth Circuit 30 days to consider his decision to largely uphold the measure. 

  • January 02, 2025

    Ex-Bank Chair Asks 7th Circ. To Halt FDIC Enforcement Order

    An Illinois community bank's onetime chairman has asked the Seventh Circuit for an emergency stay of professional sanctions ordered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. after an in-house proceeding that he argues was unconstitutional and wrongly decided.

  • January 02, 2025

    Judicial Conference Closes Thomas Gift Probe With No Action

    The Judicial Conference of the United States will not refer ethics complaints accusing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of unlawfully failing to disclose decades of luxury gifts and travel to the U.S. Department of Justice for further investigation, according to letters released Thursday.

  • January 02, 2025

    DC Kept Disabled People In Restrictive Care Too Long: Ruling

    After 15 years of litigation, a D.C. federal judge ruled this week that the District of Columbia has been violating a federal law that prohibits the segregation of people with disabilities by refusing to remove people from Medicaid-funded nursing homes into less restrictive forms of care.

  • January 02, 2025

    Election Officials Push To Certify NC High Court Race Results

    The North Carolina State Board of Elections should be allowed to move forward with certifying the results of the state Supreme Court race after a Republican candidate sought to block copious ballots, state officials and incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs said Wednesday.

  • January 02, 2025

    Anchorage Residents Look To Block Tribal Casino Project

    A group of Anchorage residents has sued the acting chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Native village of Eklutna in Alaska federal court, claiming plans to build a 58,000-square-foot casino will ruin their rural neighborhood.

  • January 02, 2025

    NTIA Clarifies Use Of Broadband Funds For Alternative Techs

    The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has dropped more information to make the way forward clearer for states that want to use their federal broadband dollars to fund alternative means of connecting people, such as satellites.

  • January 02, 2025

    Issa Again Selected To Lead House IP Subcommittee

    Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., will again lead the House subcommittee overseeing intellectual property in the upcoming Congress, a role in which he has sponsored bills seeking to limit how many patents can be asserted in biosimilar cases and require disclosure of litigation funding.

  • January 02, 2025

    New Jersey Judge Won't Block Affordable-Housing Law

    A New Jersey state judge has refused to block a state law that aims to determine how much affordable housing must be developed, ruling that the municipalities challenging the law are obligated under the state's constitution "to provide realistic opportunities for low- and moderate-income housing."

  • January 02, 2025

    Epic Tells 9th Circ. Google's Legal 'Reckoning Long Overdue'

    Epic Games Inc. has slammed Google's Ninth Circuit appeal of an injunction requiring the tech giant to open up its Android Play Store to rival app distributors, defending the ruling and a jury's liability verdict and arguing that Google's appeal is a meritless attempt to avoid a "reckoning long overdue."

  • January 02, 2025

    Rep. Jordan Picks Wis. Lawmaker For House Antitrust Panel

    Republicans are moving to install a frequent critic of President Joe Biden's Federal Trade Commission at the head of the House of Representatives' antitrust subcommittee, naming Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., to the post Tuesday.

  • January 02, 2025

    DOJ Says Hur Tapes Are Protected From GOP Contempt Effort

    Two U.S. Department of Justice legal opinions made public on New Year's Eve further explain the Biden administration's positions opposing attempts by Republicans to obtain the audio recordings of President Joe Biden and his ghostwriter speaking with special counsel Robert Hur for his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.

  • January 02, 2025

    Colo. Justices To Mull Whether Hertz Qualifies As An Insurer

    The Colorado Supreme Court will consider whether a rental car company offering insurance coverage to customers qualifies as an insurer under the state's insurance statutes, thereby potentially exposing it to additional liability for claims that it denied coverage in bad faith.

  • January 02, 2025

    Uber Can't Hold Off Seattle Driver Deactivation Law

    A Washington federal judge denied Uber's bid to temporarily bar the city of Seattle from enforcing new app-based worker account deactivation rules against it, finding the day before the challenged ordinance took effect that the company is unlikely to succeed in its claims of a First Amendment violation.

  • January 02, 2025

    Oregon, California Tribes Ask Court To Block Casino Project

    Three tribes are asking a D.C. federal court to block the Interior Department from issuing a final decision that would take land into trust for an Oregon casino project, arguing that the agency's lack of tribal consultation on the endeavor will cause damage to their economic and governmental interests.

  • January 02, 2025

    DC US Atty Matthew Graves Stepping Down Jan. 16

    Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for D.C. who led the federal investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said he'll be stepping down as the capital's top federal prosecutor four days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

  • January 02, 2025

    Ill. Atty Can't Avoid Prison Pending Bribery Appeal

    An Illinois attorney set to serve time for bribing former Chicago alderman Edward Burke must still report to prison while he asks the Seventh Circuit to review his conviction and 32-month sentence, a federal judge said.

  • January 02, 2025

    Bankrupt Pa. City Must Remit Casino Revenue, County Argues

    Pennsylvania's Delaware County has asked the Third Circuit to undo a bankruptcy court's ruling that the financially ailing city of Chester is excused from paying the county revenue from gambling taxes because of the city's Chapter 9 proceedings, despite an ordinance mandating that the county get a cut of the money.

  • January 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Nonprofit's Union Dues Deduction Fight

    The Ninth Circuit refused to reinstate a conservative nonprofit's suit accusing Teamsters unions representing Washington state employees of committing constitutional violations by allegedly ignoring the nonprofit's mail containing dues revocation cards, concluding that refusal to accept such mail isn't a state action, and the unions aren't state actors.

  • January 02, 2025

    Tempur Sealy Ups Floor Space Promise In FTC Merger Case

    Tempur Sealy is increasing its commitments to preserve floor space for rivals' mattresses in Mattress Firm stores, attempting to beat the Federal Trade Commission's merger challenge by extending the current floor space "slot" distribution after a Texas federal judge noted that prior commitments were below current allotments.

  • January 02, 2025

    Reps. Titus, Omar To Co-Chair Congressional Cannabis Caucus

    Democratic Reps. Dina Titus and Ilhan Omar announced Thursday that they have been appointed to co-chair the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, succeeding Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Barbara Lee, who are retiring at the end of the week.

Expert Analysis

  • Predictions For Trump Antitrust Enforcement Of Life Sciences

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    Key life sciences antitrust issues of the past two administrations may indicate the direction of enforcement during President-elect Donald Trump's second term, including in areas such as drug prices, killer acquisitions and merger remedies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • What To Know About Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Revisions

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    While some may be apprehensive about the looming changes coming to Florida’s Rules of Civil Procedure on Jan. 1, these essential modifications that affect tenets of civil litigation long taken for granted will increase efficiency and streamline the litigation process, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • From Football To Pickleball, Sports Investing Evolved In 2024

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    The NFL's decision to allow private-equity investments in football franchises capped off a transformative year in U.S. sports that also included landmark PE transactions in emerging sports ranging from women's soccer to pickleball, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Implications Of NY Climate Case For Generating Facilities

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    Regardless of how Greenidge Generation LLC v. New York Department of Environmental Conservation develops on remand, this decision has immediate repercussions for generating facilities seeking permit applications and renewals in New York, likely involving Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act considerations, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • How CFPB Rule Would Affect Data Brokers And Beyond

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently proposed a rule that would not only expand data broker oversight by classifying many as consumer reporting agencies, but would also impose new limitations on companies seeking to obtain information from them, potentially requiring such entities to alter their business models, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

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    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • 5th Circ. Crypto Ruling Shows Limits On OFAC Authority

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    The Fifth Circuit's recent decision that immutable smart contracts on the Tornado Cash crypto-transaction software protocol are not "property" subject to Office of Foreign Assets Control jurisdiction may signal that courts can construe OFAC's authority more restrictively after Loper Bright, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Expand Investment Options For 403(b)s

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    Lawmakers should pass pending legislation to give 403(b) plan participants access to collective investment trusts, leveling the playing field for public sector retirement investors by giving them an investment option their private sector counterparts have had for decades, says Jason Levy at Great Gray Trust Company.

  • What 2024 Election Means For Drugs, Medicare And Medicaid

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    With Republicans running the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, the incoming administration is likely to provide pathways — through new initiatives and others returning from Trump's previous presidency — for a range of potential changes to drug pricing, Medicare and Medicaid, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AV Compliance Is Still A State-By-State Slog — For Now

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    While the incoming Trump administration has hinted at new federal regulations governing autonomous vehicles, for now, AV manufacturers must take a state-by-state approach to compliance with safety requirements — paying particular attention to states that require express authorization for AV operation, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Opinion

    Antitrust Posturing Against Algorithmic AI Should End

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    President-elect Donald Trump needs to rein in the federal government's antitrust crusade against algorithmic AI, sending the message that antitrust enforcement must be grounded in evidence and real harm, says attorney David Balto, a former Federal Trade Commission assistant director of policy and evaluation.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Immigration Atty Tips For Avoiding Prosecution Under Trump

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    Under the incoming Trump administration, immigration attorneys may need to protect themselves from prosecution when advising clients who may not qualify for relief sought by choosing their words carefully and keeping other key factors in mind, says Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi.

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