Public Policy

  • July 22, 2024

    1st Circuit Doubts Calif. Law Governs DraftKings Job Fight

    A former DraftKings executive seeking to undo his noncompete contract appeared to make little headway with the First Circuit on Monday as he argued that Massachusetts law should take a backseat in the dispute to California's more worker-friendly statute.

  • July 22, 2024

    After Kindred Case, Questions Linger About Clerk Safeguards

    When Alaska federal Judge Joshua Kindred resigned, it was the culmination of an 18-month inquiry into a hostile and inappropriate work environment he'd fostered in chambers. During that investigation, it seems he continued to supervise law clerks. Experts say that may signal a gap in protections for clerks.

  • July 22, 2024

    NYC Says Migrant Busing Has Stopped Amid Border Curbs

    New York City retreated from its pending motion in state court to block eight charter bus companies from contracting with Texas to transport migrants to the city, saying the busing has already stopped after the Biden administration implemented new border policies.

  • July 22, 2024

    Conn. AG Accuses Solar Cos. Of Illegal Sales Tactics

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong took three solar companies and two individuals to court for allegedly deceiving consumers into signing long-term contracts without informed consent and impersonating some people who refused so they could enter fraudulent solar contracts on those consumers' behalf.

  • July 19, 2024

    Santos Can't Duck Charges Ahead Of Trial, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge on Friday refused to throw out identity theft and theft of public money charges against former U.S. Rep. George Santos, rejecting his arguments that the charges were too vague to survive.

  • July 19, 2024

    Kavanaugh Murder-Attempt Suspect Set To Face Trial

    A man charged with attempting to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has failed to reach a plea deal after nearly two years of negotiations, setting his case up for trial in Maryland federal court, federal prosecutors said Friday.

  • July 19, 2024

    Mich. Judge Axes Challenge To Student Loan Payment Freeze

    A Michigan federal judge on Thursday tossed a challenge to the Biden administration's suspension of student loan payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the think tank that brought the suit lacked standing.

  • July 19, 2024

    House Republican Rips FCC's School Wi-Fi Subsidy

    A key House Republican with oversight of the Federal Communications Commission attacked the agency's new subsidy providing Wi-Fi services for school and library patrons, saying it will make consumer costs soar without helping education.

  • July 19, 2024

    House IP Committee Heads Unveil Drug Pricing Bill

    Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., respectively the chair and top Democrat of the House intellectual property subcommittee, on Friday introduced a new bill that would change patent law to increase competition in the prescription drug market in order to lower patient costs.

  • July 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Calls Out Wash. AG's Paradox In Christian Charity Suit

    Ninth Circuit judges said Friday that Washington state "wants it both ways" in a Christian nonprofit's case over an antidiscrimination law, with the attorney general arguing that there's no credible enforcement threat to substantiate the suit's filing while also stopping short of pledging that the state won't pursue a case against the organization.

  • July 19, 2024

    More Airwaves Needed For Power Grid Upgrades, FCC Told

    Power companies are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to help free up more spectrum for utilities, telling the agency that opening up spectrum currently committed to public safety use could be a win-win.

  • July 19, 2024

    Prison Biz Urges 9th Circ. To Keep Inspection Law Blocked

    Private prison operator GEO Group Inc. has urged the Ninth Circuit to keep a Washington law allowing for the surprise inspection of its immigration detention center blocked, arguing the law was specifically enacted to shut down its facility.

  • July 19, 2024

    How Did The Global Tech Outage Impact Transportation?

    The overnight global tech outage that prompted a cascade of flight delays and cancellations and disruptions to certain transit, shipping and port operations, left transportation providers and other critical infrastructure reeling and wondering how to avoid further crippling computer failures.

  • July 19, 2024

    Pa. Justices Let Enviro Groups Join Cap-And-Trade Fray

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was of at least four different minds Thursday when it ruled that several environmental groups could finally intervene in litigation that has blocked the state from joining a regional carbon cap-and-trade program.

  • July 19, 2024

    Pa. Court Asked To Weigh Rahimi Against Pot Patient Gun Ban

    The U.S. Attorney General's Office said that a Pennsylvania federal court considering the constitutionality of a federal ban on gun possession by medical cannabis patients should consider the U.S. Supreme Court's recent U.S. v. Rahimi ruling that upheld a gun ban for domestic abusers.

  • July 19, 2024

    Capital One Critics Lobby To Block 'No Good' Discover Deal

    Critics of Capital One's planned $35 billion purchase of Discover Financial Services urged federal regulators on Friday to withhold approval for the tie-up, rejecting a landmark community benefits pledge for the merger as a fig leaf for what they said is really a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" megadeal.

  • July 19, 2024

    Judge Presses Govt. On Immigrants' Vetting Delays

    A Washington federal judge on Friday pushed the government to defend a special national-security immigration vetting program, suggesting that delays in processing applications have left many people seeking citizenship and green cards in "no man's land."

  • July 19, 2024

    No Duty On Feds To Accept Importer's Late Filings, US Biz Say

    The U.S. Department of Commerce was within its rights to reject a Vietnamese pipe company's sixth circumvention probe extension request over the importer's claim for extra time, domestic pipe makers told the U.S. Court of International Trade Friday.

  • July 19, 2024

    Colo. Federal Judges Point Out Recent High Turnover

    Colorado's chief federal judge on Friday observed "there has been a lot of turnover" on the bench in the district over the past several years, noting five out of the seven active district court judges were nominated by President Joe Biden. 

  • July 19, 2024

    Bank Regulators Ask 5th Circ. To Unfreeze New Lending Rules

    Federal banking regulators have urged the Fifth Circuit to rescind a Texas district court's injunction blocking implementation of new community lending rules, arguing in a filing that the district court's finding essentially rewrote the Community Reinvestment Act.

  • July 19, 2024

    DC Circ. Upholds EPA's Revised Biogas Accounting Rules

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday backed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's revamp of how it accounts for renewable transportation fuel derived from biogas, rejecting a petition from an industry group that challenged the regulations as unduly burdensome and an agency overreach.

  • July 19, 2024

    DC Circ. Sides With FERC In Wind Farm Hookup Cost Fight

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in disputes related to the transmission system upgrade costs that Tenaska Clear Creek Wind LLC faced to connect a 242-megawatt wind farm in northwest Missouri to the grid.

  • July 19, 2024

    Kroger Could Delay Merger Closing To Avoid Colo. Hearing

    Kroger Co. told a Colorado state judge Friday that it is negotiating a potential agreement with the state to delay the closing date for its proposed merger with Albertsons until November or after the court rules on a permanent injunction, a proposal the grocer said was aimed at avoiding a hearing next month.

  • July 19, 2024

    House AI Report Is 'Blueprint' For Coming Committee Action

    The House Financial Services Committee is poised to take on a "leading role" in regulating the use of artificial intelligence in financial services, according to a new congressional report highlighting the importance of antidiscrimination and data privacy guardrails.

  • July 19, 2024

    'Texit' Atty Sues State Rep., Judge Over Defamation Fees

    A civil rights attorney who has represented the group behind the "Texit" movement filed a lawsuit against a state representative and court officials in a North Texas county, accusing the group of colluding to run up attorney fees against him in a defamation case connected to the pro-Texas-secession group.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Piercing FEMA Authority Is Not Insurmountable

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    While the Federal Emergency Management Agency's discretionary authority continues to provide significant protection from claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, Loper Bright is a blow to the argument that Congress gave FEMA unfettered discretion to administer its own programs, says Wendy Huff Ellard at Baker Donelson.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

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    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How Tech Trackers May Implicate HIPAA After Hospital Ruling

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    A recent Texas federal court order in American Hospital Association v. Becerra adds a legal protection on key data, clarifying when tracking technologies implicate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so organizations should ensure all technology used is known and accounted for, say John Howard and Myriah Jaworski at Clark Hill.

  • The Show Must Go On: Noncompete Uncertainty In Film, TV

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    The Federal Trade Commission has taken action to ban noncompetes while the entertainment industry is in the midst of a massive shift away from traditional media, so it is important for studio heads and content owners alike to understand the fate of the rule and their options going forward, say Christopher Chatham and Douglas Smith at Manatt.

  • A Refresher On Calculating Political Advertising Costs

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    With election season well underway, it is important for broadcasters, political candidates, time buyers and others concerned with how the cost of broadcast political advertising is determined to know what the Federal Communications Commission factors into lowest unit calculations, and how the commission has defined "commercial advertisers," says Gregg Skall at Telecommunications Law Professionals.

  • 'Outsourcing' Ruling, 5 Years On: A Warning, Not A Watershed

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    A New York federal court’s 2019 ruling in U.S. v. Connolly, holding that the government improperly outsourced an investigation to Deutsche Bank, has not undercut corporate cooperation incentives as feared — but companies should not completely ignore the lessons of the case, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Anna Nabutovsky at Selendy Gay.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.

  • Series

    After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector

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    The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Post-Chevron, Good Riddance To The Sentencing Guidelines

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine may signal the end of the U.S. sentencing guidelines, which is good news given that they have accomplished the opposite of Congress’ original intent to bring certainty, proportionality and uniformity to sentencing, say attorneys Mark Allenbaugh, Doug Passon and Alan Ellis.

  • Opinion

    Proposed Terminal Disclaimers Rule Harms Colleges, Startups

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    Universities and startups are ill-suited to follow the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recently proposed rule on terminal disclaimers due to their necessity of filing patent applications early prior to contacting outside entities for funds and resources, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Impact On CFPB May Be Limited

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo is likely to have a limited impact on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory activities, and for those who value due process, consistency and predictability in consumer financial services regulation, this may be a good thing, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

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