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Public Policy
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January 14, 2025
DOL Finalizes ERISA Voluntary Correction Program Changes
The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm has finalized changes to a program allowing retirement plan managers to voluntarily self-correct when they fail to forward employee contributions on time or make other transaction errors, according to a notice the agency posted online Tuesday.
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January 13, 2025
CFPB Eyes Rule To Rein In 'Forced' Financial Contract Terms
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday floated a new rule that calls for banning financial companies from using contractual fine print to limit consumers' legal rights or restrict their free expression.
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January 13, 2025
Special Counsel Slams Biden's Critique Of Son's Prosecution
The special counsel who oversaw the investigation into Hunter Biden, which was wiped out by a presidential pardon, released a report published Monday criticizing President Joe Biden's "baseless accusations" that his son was "selectively" prosecuted and warning that such comments threaten "the integrity of the justice system as a whole."
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January 13, 2025
On Cross, Madigan Says He Merely Helped Job-Seekers
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan distanced himself Monday from political allies who prosecutors say bribed him for jobs and other benefits, saying his recommendations were just that, and that he thought he was effective in shutting down a former alderman's quid pro quo suggestion.
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January 13, 2025
Judge Spikes Challenge To Ga. Utility Commish Elections
A federal judge on Monday tossed a lawsuit that challenged the extension of terms for members of Georgia's utility regulatory commission while its elections were suspended by voting rights litigation, clearing the way for its members to return to the ballot next year.
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January 13, 2025
Texas Judge Urged To Halt CFPB Medical Debt Reporting Rule
Trade groups suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over its new rule banning medical debt from credit reports have asked a Texas federal judge to put a court-ordered hold on the measure while they proceed with their challenge to its legality.
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January 13, 2025
Bannon Must Explain Atty Swap As NY Wall Fraud Trial Looms
A New York state judge on Monday ordered Steve Bannon to appear in court to explain why he switched counsel a month before he faces trial on charges of defrauding donors to a fundraiser to build a U.S. southern border wall.
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January 13, 2025
Amid Claims Of Agency Bias, DEA Judge Nixes Pot Hearings
A Drug Enforcement Administration tribunal on Monday canceled planned hearings on the merits of a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana so that pro-rescheduling parties can bring their allegations of agency bias straight to the DEA's administrator.
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January 13, 2025
FERC Defends Limited Review Of Cross-Border Gas Pipeline
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told the D.C. Circuit it properly confined its review of a gas pipeline that crosses the Texas-Mexico border to a 1,000-foot segment known as a border facility, arguing that regulating the entire U.S. segment would exceed the agency's authority.
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January 13, 2025
Texas Justices Probe State's Bid To Shutter Refugee Nonprofit
The Texas Supreme Court appeared skeptical Monday that the state's attorney general has broad power under an anti-harboring law to shut down a religious nonprofit it claims illegally shelters unauthorized immigrants, with the justices probing how far that power extends.
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January 13, 2025
Colo. Justices Reject Co.'s Challenge To Storm Gas Bill
Colorado's highest court on Monday rejected a building materials company's challenge to charges on its electric bill related to extra natural gas purchased ahead of a 2021 winter storm, finding the company presented no facts to back its claim that the charges amounted to an unconstitutional taking.
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January 13, 2025
Rail Group Rips FRA In 8th Circ. Waiver Battle
The rail industry has told the Eighth Circuit that the Biden administration is flouting federal law by intentionally delaying decisions on waiver applications from railroads seeking to use new brake and track inspection technologies.
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January 13, 2025
Google Says Sanctions Bid In Texas Ad Tech Case Too Late
Google has urged a Texas federal court to reject a bid for sanctions in the ad tech monopolization case being brought by state enforcers over the company's prior policy for retaining internal chats, arguing that the bid comes too late.
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January 13, 2025
Judge Says California Tribe Can't Block Casino Land Decision
A California tribe can't block the Interior Department from taking 65 acres into trust for a fellow state tribe's proposed casino project, a federal district judge said, arguing that it has not satisfied the burden to prove an immediate threat of irreparable harm.
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January 13, 2025
Newsom Waives Permits, Enviro Rules To Rebuild LA Faster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom in an executive order Sunday suspended state environmental rules and permitting in coastal areas, a move intended to help rebuild from wildfires causing extensive destruction in Los Angeles.
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January 13, 2025
Dissuading A Witness Is Grounds For Removal, 9th Circ. Says
Immigration courts correctly ruled that an El Salvador citizen's conviction for dissuading a witness by force or threat in California qualified as an aggravated felony and grounds for removal, a Ninth Circuit panel said Monday.
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January 13, 2025
GPS Backup Would Serve Larger 'Ecosystem,' FCC Told
A public safety tech company is throwing its weight behind a plan to license a chunk of the lower 900 megahertz band to launch a network that would back up the Global Positioning System, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to "advance this critical initiative."
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January 13, 2025
NY's $15 Broadband Price Cap To Take Effect Wednesday
Internet service providers in New York won't be allowed to charge low-income households more than $15 for basic broadband service come Wednesday, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to weigh in on a ruling upholding the Empire State's right to cap internet costs.
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January 13, 2025
FHWA Ends 'Buy America' Waiver For Manufactured Products
The Federal Highway Administration on Monday finalized a rule ending a decades-long exception to "Buy America" domestic sourcing requirements for manufactured products used in federally funded highway projects, a change the agency said was intended to boost domestic manufacturing.
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January 13, 2025
NJ Groups Sue To Revoke Offshore Wind Farm Approvals
A group of environmental and business organizations are alleging in New Jersey federal court that federal approvals awarded to a Shell-backed developer's offshore wind projects violate a number of environmental statutes, and they are looking to halt the construction of two offshore wind facilities located just under nine miles off the Garden State coast.
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January 13, 2025
NY Dispensaries Say Pot Agencies Broke Proximity Rules
A group of four adult-use marijuana dispensaries are suing New York's cannabis regulators, aiming to vacate the issuance of licenses for four competing dispensaries that they say violate the state's 1,000-foot buffer between outlets.
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January 13, 2025
Manufactured Housing Groups Seek Early Win Against DOE
Two manufactured-housing trade groups pushed for an early win in Texas federal court in their suit against the U.S. Department of Energy over an energy conservation rule for manufactured housing that the groups claimed failed to hit "a rational balance between energy conservation and affordable housing."
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January 13, 2025
Uber Says Colo. Pay Disclosure Law Infringes Free Speech
Uber is suing Colorado state officials in Denver federal court, contending new driver earnings and service fee disclosure requirements violate the First Amendment by forcing commercial speech, adding that they will ultimately mislead the public about how much in fares the company retains.
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January 13, 2025
T-Mobile, UScellular Say Tie-Up Will 'Greatly' Amp Up Service
T-Mobile and UScellular defended their $4.4 billion deal to combine wireless operations, telling the Federal Communications Commission that expanding the T-Mobile footprint will improve consumers' experiences around the country.
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January 13, 2025
FCC Monitoring For Wireless Outages Caused By LA Fires
The Federal Communications Commission said Monday it was closely monitoring the effect of the Los Angeles wildfires on telecommunications networks and was granting tentative authority for providers to fill any gaps in service.
Expert Analysis
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What To Expect Next From Federal Health Tech Regulation
Healthcare organizations should pay close attention to federal health information technology regulators' recent guidance concerning barriers to accessing electronic health information, which signals that more enforcement in this area is likely forthcoming, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied
Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.
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Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect
Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.
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5 Areas Congress May Investigate After GOP Election Wins
With Republicans poised to take control of Congress in addition to the executive branch next year, private companies can expect an unprecedented uptick in congressional investigations focused on five key areas, including cryptocurrency and healthcare, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.
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US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent
A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends
A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Takeaways From State Votes On Abortion In The 2024 Election
Attorneys at Epstein Becker discuss how 10 states voted on ballot initiatives to either protect or restrict access to abortion in the 2024 general election, and analyze overarching trends.
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Trump's 2nd Term May Be A Boost To Banking Industry
President-elect Donald Trump's personnel appointments could be instrumental in reshaping the financial regulatory landscape during his second administration, likely allowing for greater merger activity and halting or undoing some of the Biden administration's more restrictive financial services policies, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.
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A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports
Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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How Expanded Birth Control Coverage May Affect Employers
Employers should consider the potential impact of recently proposed regulations that would expand group health plans' required coverage of preventive services and contraceptives, including questions about how the agencies would implement their plans to eliminate the prescription requirement and alter the exceptions process, says Jennifer Rigterink at Proskauer.
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Unpacking CFPB's Unwieldy Buy Now, Pay Later Guidance
Both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent interpretive rule regarding buy now, pay later transactions, and its FAQ guidance, place providers in murky waters with the unenviable position of attempting to place a square, closed-end product in a round, regulatory framework meant for open-end products, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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9 Considerations Around Proposed Connected Vehicle Ban
Stakeholders should consider several aspects of the U.S. Department of Commerce's recent proposal to ban U.S. imports and sales of vehicles incorporating certain connectivity components made in China or Russia, including exempted transactions and vehicle hardware imports, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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Predicting Shareholder Activism Trends In New Trump Admin
While President-elect Donald Trump has promised tax policies, deregulation and lax antitrust enforcement — which all fuel shareholder activism — a closer look at his first administration's track record suggests that his second presidency might be a mixed bag for activist investors and companies alike, say attorneys at Sidley.