Public Policy

  • January 16, 2025

    Biden Makes Final Push To Fortify US Cybersecurity Posture

    President Joe Biden took the latest step toward boosting the nation's cybersecurity Thursday, issuing an executive order that requires software vendors that work with the government to prove they're meeting certain security standards and promote the use of artificial intelligence for cyberdefense.

  • January 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Mulls Preemption Of HUD's Disparate-Impact Rule

    A Seventh Circuit judge said Thursday he found it odd that a trade association for insurers was bringing a facial challenge to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule governing disparate-impact claims under the Fair Housing Act that would effectively require "a 50-state survey to adjudicate."

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump's HUD Pick Opposes Telework, Backs Opportunity Zones

    Eric Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said he would bring the agency's largely remote workforce back to the office and boost a popular incentive for development in testimony before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Jan. 16.

  • January 16, 2025

    Tribes, ND Spar Over High Court's Voting Rights Order

    Two North Dakota tribes say a decision by the Supreme Court rejecting an appeal over the state's voting subdistricts forecloses the secretary of state's argument that race was a predominant factor in redrawing the districts.

  • January 16, 2025

    GOP Describes FTC Dems' Last Days As 'Farcical,' 'Senseless'

    Democratic enforcers at the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are on a blitz of guidelines and complaints in their last days at the agencies, a push increasingly assailed by FTC Republicans who've said Democratic-specific efforts to enshrine antitrust safeguards for workers and more "has no future."

  • January 16, 2025

    Cherokee, Feds Reach $80M Settlement In Accounting Fight

    The Cherokee Nation and the federal government have settled a dispute for $80 million after a D.C. federal court last year determined that the U.S. had not fulfilled its duty to provide the tribe with a full accounting of its federal trust assets, ending nearly a decade of litigation.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump AG Nominee Pam Bondi's Net Worth Tops $12M

    President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, has a net worth of over $12 million and holds stock in Trump's media company, according to financial disclosures shared with Law360. 

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump's DOT Pick Says Air Safety, New Tech Big Priorities

    President-elect Donald Trump's would-be transportation secretary pledged to oversee a leaner and more efficient U.S. Department of Transportation focused on expediting project permitting, prioritizing mega infrastructure projects, and ensuring that Boeing and aviation safety gets "back on track."

  • January 16, 2025

    DHS Unit Clarifies EB-2 National Interest Waiver Eligibility

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have unveiled new guidance clarifying the eligibility criteria for EB-2 employment-based immigration petitions for applicants with advanced degrees or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business to get national interest waivers.

  • January 16, 2025

    Quarry, Conn. Town Eye Settlement In $9.5M Shutdown Feud

    The town of East Haven, Connecticut, and a quarry owner are in settlement talks to end both a lawsuit and an appeal of the owner's $10.6 million bench trial win on claims he was forced to shut down operations for improper political reasons, a federal district court filing indicates.

  • January 16, 2025

    Gov't Wants Time During Epic, Google's 9th Circ. Face-Off

    When Epic Games and Google face off next month at the Ninth Circuit, the federal government is hoping it will get a few minutes to state its case for why the appellate court shouldn't overturn an order forcing Google to allow alternative app stores on its platform, the government said in a recent motion.

  • January 16, 2025

    FDIC Case Belongs In Fed. Court After Jarkesy, 5th Circ. Told

    A former Herring Bank executive argued in a Fifth Circuit brief that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s in-house enforcement proceedings against him denied him his right to a jury trial in federal court, saying the allegations against him involve legal issues that have historically been decided by juries.

  • January 16, 2025

    Antitrust's 'Moment' Has Arrived, Thanks To Biden Enforcers

    As President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, with antitrust picks operating under a mandate to go after Big Tech and "censorship" with enforcement that's vigorous, but not stifling, which key parts of President Joe Biden's competition law legacy may last and what won't are coming into focus.

  • January 16, 2025

    NC Gov. Boosts Abortion Safeguards Amid 'Alarming Attacks'

    North Carolina's newly minted Gov. Josh Stein on Thursday in one of his first official acts rolled out an executive order that shores up abortion protections in the Tar Heel state, joining the ranks of other Democratic politicians seeking to cement progressive priorities ahead of a second Trump administration.

  • January 16, 2025

    USPTO Seeks Views On 'Traditional Knowledge' IP Treaty

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office requested comments Thursday on whether the U.S. should sign an international treaty that could require patent applicants to disclose if an invention draws on the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, which has concerned business groups.

  • January 16, 2025

    Browns Stadium Fight Belongs In Ohio State Court, Judge Told

    The city of Cleveland has sued the Browns in Ohio state court in an attempt to block the NFL team's planned stadium move, as the city and the state are urging the judge in a separate federal case to toss the team's bid to relocate to the suburbs.

  • January 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Judges Ask TSA Who Gets To Define 'Emergency'

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Thursday questioned how much deference the court should give to the Transportation Security Administration's definition of an "emergency" in a railway's lawsuit claiming TSA skipped normal rulemaking procedures to impose cybersecurity mandates on freight rail companies without pointing to an emergency that warranted it.

  • January 16, 2025

    PE Exec Nominated To Lead Fannie, Freddie Regulator

    President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Bill Pulte, the CEO of private equity firm Pulte Capital, to lead the agency regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump EPA Pick Faces Climate Questions, Dodges Details

    President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday tried to steer clear of controversy at a Senate confirmation hearing, taking a conciliatory tone, deferring judgment on specific matters and promising to exercise independence.

  • January 16, 2025

    Former NY Cannabis Regulator Backs Embattled Program

    The former leader of New York's cannabis regulator and an architect of the state's marijuana legalization law on Thursday defended the integrity of the agency before a roomful of cannabis attorneys, some of whom have litigated against its core policies.

  • January 16, 2025

    FedEx Worker Wage Fight Ruling Likely On Hold

    A Connecticut federal judge said Thursday that she is unlikely to rule on dueling summary judgment motions from FedEx Ground Package System Inc. and a class of workers demanding compensation for the time spent on company security screenings until the Second Circuit hands down its decision in a similar case.

  • January 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms $23.2M Judgment In ICE Detainee Wage Trial

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday upheld a $23.2 million district court judgment in favor of a class of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees and Washington state, ruling that the GEO Group isn't immune from paying the detainees the state minimum wage for their involvement in a work program.

  • January 16, 2025

    Interior Nom Stresses Need For More Fossil Fuels

    Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum said on Thursday that he will promote U.S. energy dominance and add more fossil fuel-derived electricity to the grid, as Democrats and Republican senators sparred over how much emphasis should be given to renewables.

  • January 16, 2025

    Texas Ozone Fight A Repeat Of 2007, EPA Tells 5th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that Texas is feigning a misunderstanding of the Clean Air Act, saying it couldn't have hit the state with a "surprise switcheroo" because it was in an identical situation more than a decade earlier.

  • January 16, 2025

    Deal Ends Suit Over Deportation Of US Citizens' Spouses

    A federal judge signed off Thursday on a settlement in a long-running class action brought by New England-based immigrants and their U.S. citizen spouses, ending a suit that challenged the first Trump Administration's policy of separating families pursuing legal status for a spouse at risk of deportation.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Back To The Future? Antitrust Enforcement Under Trump 2.0

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    While the transition to the second Trump administration's antitrust policy should be accompanied by less uncertainty, we're unlikely to get a full sense of the true focus and tenor of competition enforcement under Trump 2.0 before late next year, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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