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Public Policy
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October 18, 2024
Suit Wants Fla. Abortion Measure Struck Over Fraud Claims
A group of Florida voters represented by former Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson have filed suit to invalidate an abortion rights ballot measure over allegations of wide-scale fraud by the initiative's sponsor during the signature gathering process.
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October 18, 2024
Judge Blasts Feds' 'Utter Failure' To Quantify Climate Impact
A Colorado federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Water Act and other federal guidelines in approving a dredging permit for a Denver dam project, calling out the agency's "utter failure" to study the impacts of climate change and alternatives that would avoid impacting wetlands.
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October 18, 2024
Natural Gas Producer Will Pay $9.4M For Excess Air Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Environment Department have reached a $9.4 million settlement with Hilcorp Energy Co., resolving claims the company failed to reduce emissions during well completion operations, in violation of the Clean Air Act and New Mexico state law.
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October 18, 2024
Chemical Cos. Say Firefighter Didn't Fix Standing In PFAS Suit
3M Co. and two other chemical firms urged an Ohio federal judge to dismiss a firefighter's revised lawsuit over so-called forever chemicals, arguing that the allegations are plagued by the same shortcomings the Sixth Circuit flagged when it vacated class certification last year.
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October 18, 2024
Ore. Water Rights Issues Grounded In State Law, 9th Circ. Told
The Klamath Irrigation District is asking the Ninth Circuit to certify two questions to the Oregon Supreme Court concerning the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's authority to use and control the use of water under Oregon law.
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October 18, 2024
Minn. Tax Court Refuses Big Changes To Parking Lot's Value
The Minnesota Tax Court lowered the assessed value of a parking lot property by about $200,000 to $11.7 million, rejecting arguments for larger changes by the property owner and a county.
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October 18, 2024
Mich. Supreme Court Spurns Challenge To UMich Gun Ban
The Michigan Supreme Court declined Friday to review the constitutionality of the University of Michigan's campus firearms ban, leaving in place a lower court's ruling that the policy does not violate the Second Amendment.
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October 18, 2024
Commerce Dept. Eases Spacecraft Export Controls For Allies
The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued a trio of rules intended to loosen controls on exports of spacecraft technology to U.S. allies, a move the department said was intended to help boost the U.S. commercial space industrial base.
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October 18, 2024
Pa. University Students Want Final OK For $1.15M Tuition Deal
Students at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia asked a federal court Friday for final approval of a $1.15 million settlement over tuition for classes that shifted online at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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October 18, 2024
FERC Extension For Pipeline Spur Warranted, DC Circ. Told
The developer of a southern spur of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and two potential customers are asking the D.C. Circuit to nix conservation groups' challenge of a construction deadline extension the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted for the so-called Southgate project.
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October 18, 2024
GOP Appeals Toss Of Ga.'s New Election Rules
The Georgia and national Republican parties have moved to appeal a Fulton County judge's decision that declared as unconstitutional a slate of recent election rule changes made by the State Election Board.
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October 18, 2024
LA County DA Defends Progressive Policies In Reelection Bid
George Gascón, the progressive Los Angeles County district attorney who's survived two recall efforts during his first term as top prosecutor, is standing by his reformist policies, which aim to curb mass incarceration and police misconduct, as he fights to keep his seat in November.
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October 18, 2024
57 Scholars, Former Judges Call For High Court Term Limits
A group of 57 constitutional scholars and retired federal and state judges wrote a letter to the leaders of Congress on Wednesday urging them to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, proposing guardrails that they said are "urgently needed at a time of plummeting confidence" in the nation's highest court.
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October 18, 2024
Expect Mental Health Parity Data Guidance, DOL Official Says
The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm is working on guidance to help employer health plans comply with data collection and analysis requirements tied to recently finalized mental health and substance use disorder treatment coverage rules, an agency official told attorneys Friday.
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October 18, 2024
AG Taps DOJ Veteran To Lead Executive Office Of US Attys
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has chosen a longtime government lawyer to serve as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, which serves as liaison between the U.S. Department of Justice and the country's 93 U.S. attorneys.
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October 18, 2024
Feds Win 1st Trial In Sprawling NYC Housing Bribery Case
A former New York City Housing Authority superintendent was convicted of taking bribes to award no-bid contracts, handing federal prosecutors a win in the first trial in a case that saw 70 defendants arrested earlier this year.
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October 18, 2024
FTC Faces More Pressure To Block $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal
A dozen advocacy groups are pushing the Federal Trade Commission to block Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion purchase of Catalent, arguing that the deal would stifle competition for certain obesity and gene therapy drugs — and that no remedy can fix that.
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October 17, 2024
Monsanto Again Seeks Pause As Seattle PCB Trial Begins
Monsanto is continuing its appellate bid to put off a chemical poisoning trial already underway in Washington state court as the plaintiffs told a Seattle jury on Thursday the company owes them more than $450 million, in the 10th such trial tied to an Evergreen State school.
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October 17, 2024
E-Cig Regs Are Congress' Job, Not FDA's, GOP Pols Tell Justices
Republican lawmakers told the U.S. Supreme Court that Congress, not the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, should regulate flavored e-cigarettes, and that the regulator overstepped its authority by banning the sale of the vape products.
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October 17, 2024
Dems Sue FEC Over GOP's Alleged Ad Spending Tactics
With less than 20 days until the election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, alleging the agency should have stopped Republicans from using an advertising tactic that allows the party to get around spending limits.
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October 17, 2024
'It's The First Amendment, Stupid': Judge Blasts Fla.'s Threats
A Florida federal judge on Thursday blocked the state from threatening television stations with criminal prosecution if they did not pull a campaign ad promoting an abortion rights ballot initiative, calling the ads political speech that "is at the core of the First Amendment."
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October 17, 2024
Tulsa Massacre Survivors Want Accountability In DOJ Review
The federal government, in its first probe into one of the deadliest episodes of mass racial violence in the country's history that came during a period of Black affluence in an Indian Country community, is asking the public to come forward with more information that can help its review.
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October 17, 2024
CFTC Says Court 'Erred At Every Turn' In Election Betting Suit
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission told the D.C. Circuit that the district court "erred at every turn" when it allowed trading platform KalshiEx LLC to offer event contracts based on the outcome of U.S. elections.
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October 17, 2024
DOL, Red States Spar Over Loper Bright Impact On ESG Rule
Conservative-led states suing the U.S. Department of Labor have told a Texas federal court that the end of the Chevron doctrine boosts their bid to end a rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors in investment choices, while the DOL argued that it deserves another summary judgment win.
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October 17, 2024
USPTO Told More Clarity Needed On AI And Patent Eligibility
Numerous companies and industry groups have said they welcome the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new guidance on when inventions involving artificial intelligence are eligible for patents, but many urged the agency to provide additional clarity and practical examples.
Expert Analysis
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5 Insights Into FDIC's Final Rule On Big-Bank Resolution Plans
Although the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recently finalized rule expanding resolution planning requirements for large banks was generally adopted as proposed, it includes key changes related to filing deadlines, review and feedback, and incorporates lessons learned — particularly from last year's bank failures, say attorneys at Cleary.
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3 Notes For Arbitration Agreements After Calif. Ruling
After last month's California Supreme Court decision in Ramirez v. Charter Communications invalidated several arbitration clauses in the company's employee contracts as unconscionable, companies should ensure their own arbitration agreements steer clear of three major pitfalls identified by the court, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Opinion
Focus On Political Stances May Weaken Labor Unions
Recent lawsujits and a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives call attention to the practice of labor unions taking political stances with which their members disagree — an issue that may weaken unions, and that employers should stay abreast of, given its implications for labor organizing campaigns, workplace morale and collective bargaining, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.
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Opinion
Time To Reimagine The Novation Process For Gov't Contracts
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which recently extended a long-standing request for public comments on its novation procedures, should heed commenters' suggestions by implementing specific changes in its documentation requirements, thereby creating a more streamlined and practical novation process, say attorneys at Covington.
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Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing
Branko Jovanovic and Monica Zhong at Edgeworth Economics discuss the Federal Trade Commission's recent advice for multilevel marketers on how MLMs should approach their income and earnings reports, including participants costs, typical proceeds and distributor gains.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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The OIG Report: DOJ's Own Whistleblower Program Has Holes
A recent Office of the Inspector General memo found that the U.S. Department of Justice’s whistleblower program failed to protect federal employees whose security clearances were allegedly suspended in retaliation — a serious cause for concern that could have a potential chilling effect on would-be whistleblowers, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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Series
After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull
Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.
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New State Carbon Capture Laws: Key Points For Developers
Multiple states have introduced or expanded legal frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration this year, and while there are some common themes, many of these state laws include unique approaches and requirements — which developers and investors should be aware of when considering potential projects and investment risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Opinion
Chevron Reversal May Protect IP Rights Under Bayh-Dole
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference may block the Biden administration's nearly finalized guidance reinterpreting the Bayh-Dole Act, protecting intellectual property rights and preventing harm to innovation and economic activity, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore & Shohl.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles
California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.
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How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.