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Public Policy
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July 18, 2024
Police Dept. Beats Cop's Suit Over Political Rally Attendance
A California police department defeated an officer's lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully fired after attending a "Stop the Steal" rally in early 2021, with a federal judge finding he was fired based on social media posts that violated department policies, not his political activities.
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July 18, 2024
Colo. Judge Ends Voter Intimidation Case Midtrial
A Colorado federal judge on Thursday put an abrupt end to a bench trial in a lawsuit accusing members of a 2020 election denier group of illegal voter intimidation, concluding there was not enough evidence to back up the claims brought by voting rights groups.
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July 18, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty Gets Nearly 2 Years For Election Crimes
A former BigLaw attorney was sentenced to 21 months in prison Thursday after being convicted of campaign finance violations tied to a failed run for U.S. Congress, with a Boston federal judge citing the defendant's legal acumen and experience as a law clerk as evidence he "should have known" better.
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July 18, 2024
CFPB Eyes Loan Treatment For 'Earned Wage' Cash Advances
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved Thursday to apply federal truth-in-lending requirements to the growing market for fintech cash advances, issuing a proposed rule that would classify many "earned wage access" products as consumer loans needing clear pricing disclosures.
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July 17, 2024
EPA Disputes High Court Link To Texas Clean Air Act Case
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling blocking a federal plan to reduce cross-state pollution does not impact the EPA's decision to reject state plans submitted by Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
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July 17, 2024
DOI Rejects Calif. Tribal Members' Lineal Descent Claims
The U.S. Department of the Interior is backing its bid to dismiss a D.C. federal court lawsuit brought by family members who seek control of the California Valley Miwok Tribe, highlighting its argument that their claims have already been decided in several prior cases.
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July 17, 2024
PJM Jumps Into 3rd Circ. Row Over Transmission Project
A Pennsylvania commission's request to have the Third Circuit reinstate its rejection of a power transmission project would impinge on PJM Interconnection's federally mandated planning process, the regional grid operator said in an amicus brief filed Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
MTA Sued For Bus Service Cuts After Congestion Plan Nixed
New York City's Public Advocate hit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority with a proposed state court class action Wednesday aimed at reversing bus service cuts implemented after Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly canceled plans for congestion pricing, slashing billions in anticipated revenue for the MTA.
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July 17, 2024
SEC's Peirce Calls For Rule Agenda Reset After Court Rulings
Hester Peirce, a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, called on the agency Wednesday to reconsider its rulemaking agenda given recent court rulings, saying it should "really think about hewing closely" to its statutory mandate, in comments made just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to end Chevron deference.
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July 17, 2024
Special Counsel To Appeal Ax Of Trump Classified Docs Case
Special Counsel Jack Smith told a Florida federal court Wednesday that he was challenging U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's order earlier this week tossing the classified documents criminal case against Donald Trump, according to a notice of appeal.
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July 17, 2024
Calif. Asks 9th Circ. To Lift Injunction On Kids' Privacy Law
California urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to remove an injunction blocking a groundbreaking new law requiring social media platforms to bolster privacy protections for children, defending the protections and arguing that any unconstitutional provision should be severed following the U.S. Supreme Court's Moody v. NetChoice decision.
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July 17, 2024
Colo. Federal Judge Tells Attys To Focus On Fundamentals
U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews told a room of attorneys Wednesday he's concerned by the sloppiness of veteran lawyers he's witnessed in the past year, prompting him to be more of a stickler on procedure than when he was a magistrate judge.
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July 17, 2024
Top Florida Real Estate News In 2024 So Far
Catch up on the hottest real estate news out of Florida so far this year, from alleged zoning abuse and bankruptcy to a brewing condo crisis and a seven-figure highway expansion.
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July 17, 2024
FTC Cites 3rd Circ. In Defending Noncompete Ban
The Federal Trade Commission has continued to argue against a preliminary injunction a tree services company wants against its noncompete ban, directing a Pennsylvania federal judge to look at a Third Circuit decision from the day before calling for a high bar on initial court blocks absent immediate and permanent harm.
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July 18, 2024
CORRECTED: Green Card Process For Mixed-Status Families Opens Aug. 19
The Biden administration said Wednesday that unauthorized spouses and children of U.S. citizens can start applying on Aug. 19 for a new program that will allow them to get green cards without having to leave the country, in addition to other announcements aimed at increasing access to counsel in immigration courts and boosting noncitizens' ability to work. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the start date of the parole-in-place program for unauthorized spouses and children of U.S. citizens. The error has been corrected.
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July 17, 2024
Commerce Tees Up Dumping Duties On 4 Countries' Melamine
The U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily found that foreign producers of a compound used to create plastic dishware, utensils and countertops were receiving government subsidies that gave them an unfair edge in the U.S. market.
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July 17, 2024
Lawmakers Say Bid To Toss Monument Suit Is A 'Red Herring'
The Arizona Legislature is fighting a bid by the Biden administration to dismiss a challenge to a presidential proclamation that established an Indigenous site as a national monument in the Grand Canyon region, arguing that the state's constitution gives the lawmakers power over state trust lands.
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July 17, 2024
FCC To Vote On Smart Car Technology's Use Of 5.9 GHz
The Federal Communications Commission is ready to vote on rules that would bring advanced vehicle communications technology to the 5.9 GHz band, setting standards for the technology's use in the slice of spectrum and greenlighting the use of in-vehicle and roadside units running on the technology.
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July 17, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Allows Limits On Arlington Donation Boxes
A split Fifth Circuit upheld an Arlington, Texas, ordinance regulating the placement of donation boxes, writing that the regulation is content-neutral and tailored in a way that gives local charities the ability to collect donations through other means, even if it limits box locations.
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July 17, 2024
Many AI Patent Eligibility Issues Still Hazy After Guidance
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new guidance on patent eligibility for inventions involving artificial intelligence provides some helpful details for patent applicants, but attorneys say it leaves unanswered questions that will likely require court decisions or legislation to sort out.
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July 17, 2024
Judge Warns HHS It's Not In 'Reasonable Compliance'
The Department of Health and Human Services appears not to be in "reasonable compliance" of an injunction ordering it to develop an avenue for Medicare beneficiaries to appeal their hospitalization status, a Connecticut federal judge said in a Tuesday notice.
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July 17, 2024
Del. Gov. Signs Hotly Contested Corp. Law Amendments
Delaware Gov. John Carney signed into law on Wednesday state code amendments allowing corporations to cede some governance rights to stockholders, as well as some state corporate oversight to other jurisdictions.
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July 17, 2024
Pa. Justices OK Zoning Decision To Allow Suburban Hospital
A zoning officer for a Pittsburgh suburb was within state law to issue a "use permit" that would allow the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to build near a rival network's existing hospital, even if that permit punted on making sure the plan conformed with other zoning rules, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Nasdaq Seeks To Tighten Delisting Rules Governing SPACs
Nasdaq is proposing to strengthen its rules governing delistings and trading suspensions of special-purpose acquisition companies that fail to complete mergers within 36-month deadlines or that violate other listing standards.
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July 17, 2024
DOE Says Challenge Of $1.1B Diablo Canyon Award Must Fail
The U.S. Department of Energy is urging a California federal judge to throw out a suit challenging its award of $1.1 billion of credits to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. keep two generation units running for now at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
Expert Analysis
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Air Ambulance Ruling Severely Undermines No Surprises Act
A Texas federal court's recent decision in Guardian Flight v. Health Care Service — that the No Surprises Act lacks a judicial remedy when a health insurer refuses to pay the amount established through an independent review — likely throws a huge monkey wrench into the elaborate protections the NSA was enacted to provide, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Tracking Implementation Of IRA Programs As Election Nears
As the Biden administration races to cement key regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, a number of the law's programs and incentives are at risk of delay or repeal if Republicans retake control of Congress, the White House or both — so stakeholders should closely watch ongoing IRA implementation and guidance, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis
As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Diaz v. U.S., holding that expert witnesses can testify broadly about the mental state of “most people” in a group, simply affirms the status quo for the majority of defendants, and is unlikely to change defense counsel’s strategy at trial, says Walter Gonçalves at the Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office.
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Ecuador Ruling Marks Significant Step For Arbitral Certainty
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador's recent holding that a foreign arbitral award did not require homologation before local enforcement is a positive step toward fostering greater certainty in international business dispute resolution in the region, say Luis Perez and Ildefonso Mas at Akerman.
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A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling
A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.
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Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance
With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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Fla. HOA Reforms Bring Major Wins For Homeowners
A recently signed law brings broad changes for homeowners associations in Florida, alleviating some pressure imposed by overly restrictive rules and potentially setting up litigation surrounding how HOAs enforce their governing documents, says Christopher Miller at Varnum.
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How Congress Is Tackling The US Healthcare Shortage
With healthcare shortages continuing across the U.S. despite industry efforts to improve patient access to care, increased Medicare support for graduate medical education could be a crucial component of the solution, say Sarah Crossan and Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.
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How Justices' Chevron Ruling May Influence Wind Projects
Parties both for and against the development of East Coast offshore wind development are watching the U.S. Supreme Court closely for its anticipated ruling challenging long-standing principles of agency deference that may subject decision making based on that precedent to upheaval, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.
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Gov't Contractors Shouldn't Skip Steps In Rush To Adopt AI
Government contractors that may be tempted to deploy artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations like billing and data protection should first take time to consider and address the specific risks that come with using AI tools, say attorneys at Wiley.
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6 Tips For Maximizing After-Tax Returns In Private M&A Deals
With potential tax legislation likely to spur a surge in private business sales, sellers can make the most of after-tax proceeds with strategies that include price allocation and qualified investment options, say Isaac Grossman and Daniel Studin at Morrison Cohen.
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Opinion
Why The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act Can Spur Progress
Patent practitioners have long wrestled with the effects of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have muddied the waters of what can be patented, but the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act can change that, and those not involved with patents on a day-to-day basis can help get this act passed, says John White at Harness IP.