Public Policy

  • September 30, 2024

    T-Mobile To Pay $31.5M In FCC Data Breach Settlement

    T-Mobile has agreed to settle a group of Federal Communications Commission data breach cases for $31.5 million, the agency announced Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    AT&T Exec Seeks Bribery Acquittal After Mistrial

    Former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza asked a federal judge Friday to acquit him outright on charges that he illegally influenced ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to support legislation that would have benefited the telecommunications giant, days after a jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared in his bribery case.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ex-UNC Prof Claims Admin Tapped Classroom In Firing Suit

    A Native American former professor at the University of North Carolina has taken the school to federal court for allegedly recording his lectures without his consent and terminating him in retaliation for his public comments criticizing what he says is a lack of proper diversity initiatives at the university.

  • September 30, 2024

    FTC Withdraws From Feds' Merger Review Labor Pact

    The Federal Trade Commission is withdrawing from an agreement signed in August with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board that's meant to increase collaboration when looking at labor issues in mergers.

  • September 30, 2024

    Texas Says 5th Circ. Border Buoy Ruling Is No Court Split

    The federal government and the state of Texas are at odds over how much weight a Fifth Circuit en banc opinion that halted the removal of a 1,000-foot buoy barrier in the Rio Grande should carry, with the Lone Star State rebuking the assertion that the en banc proceedings produced a nine-nine, non-precedential split.

  • September 30, 2024

    Insurer Says Miami Can't Toss Retaliation Coverage Dispute

    An insurer for the city of Miami sought to maintain its action seeking reimbursement of $5 million for expenses incurred in defending the city and one of its commissioners against underlying lawsuits alleging political retaliation, arguing that it didn't "commingle" claims regarding its potential defense and indemnification obligations.

  • September 30, 2024

    DC Circ. Urged To Revisit Retroactive FARA Registration

    The U.S. Department of Justice is pressing the D.C. Circuit to reconsider a ruling that barred the federal government from suing to compel former foreign agents to register their onetime foreign influence efforts, arguing that the precedent behind the ruling wrongly hamstrings the DOJ's ability to enforce the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

  • September 30, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Signs Bill To Allow Cannabis Cafes

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday approved a bill that would pave the way for cannabis retailers to sell food and drink for on-site consumption — akin to the cannabis cafes found in Amsterdam — as well as host live events on their premises.

  • September 30, 2024

    Smart Car Equipment Makers Call For C-V2X rules

    High-tech automakers are pushing the Federal Communications Commission to finalize cellular vehicle-to-everything rules, telling the commission that the wait for clear regulation has delayed the technology's rollout.

  • September 30, 2024

    DC Ethics Hearing Starts For 3 Attys Over 2020 Election Suits

    Three attorneys "essentially weaponized their law licenses" to subvert the will of voters and undermine public confidence in elections when they worked on lawsuits challenging the results of the 2020 presidential contest, a lawyer with the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel told an ethics committee in the nation's capital on Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Ga. Dems Drop Election Law Challenge After Failed Injunction

    Georgia's Democratic Party has agreed to drop — for now — a suit challenging a state law that allows certain political candidates to sidestep campaign contribution limits after a federal judge denied the party's bid for an injunction blocking the statute earlier this month.

  • September 30, 2024

    NJ Justices Will Take Up Jersey City Gerrymandering Case

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on whether the ward maps in the state's second-largest city, which were redrawn after the 2020 census, were properly laid out for compactness or were configured in violation of voters' civil rights.

  • September 30, 2024

    Alaska Seeks Toss Of Challenge To New Hemp Regulations

    The state of Alaska is asking a federal court to throw out a bid by a hemp industry group to block enforcement of regulations prohibiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products, saying the regulations are not preempted by federal law.

  • September 30, 2024

    Red States Urge Justices To Take Up $15 Min. Wage Dispute

    Conservative-led states told the U.S. Supreme Court that President Joe Biden's administration misused the Procurement Act when it hiked federal contractors' hourly minimum wage to $15, throwing their support behind two outdoor groups hoping to overturn a Tenth Circuit ruling in favor of the federal government.

  • September 30, 2024

    Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote

    The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.

  • September 30, 2024

    Chevron-Hess 2nd Oil Merger To Get FTC OK With CEO Ban

    A divided Federal Trade Commission signed off Monday on a deal allowing Chevron to buy Hess, permitting the $53 billion megamerger on the condition that Hess CEO John B. Hess be banned from Chevron's board, in the second such CEO-banning deal the FTC has inked in the last year.

  • September 30, 2024

    Adams Asks To Toss Bribery Charge, Citing Top Court Ruling

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams moved swiftly to dismiss the bribery charge from his federal indictment on Monday, arguing that evidence of Turkish officials' gifts to curry favor with him fails to meet a high legal standard laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 29, 2024

    Hunter Biden's Tax Privacy Case Can Proceed, Judge Says

    Hunter Biden can move forward with his lawsuit against the federal government alleging the unauthorized disclosure of his tax return information by special agents and their attorneys who talked publicly about an investigation that culminated in Biden's copping to criminal tax charges, a D.C. federal judge ruled.

  • September 27, 2024

    Texas AG Wants Austin's Abortion Travel Fund Shut Down

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday accused the city of Austin of illegally using taxpayer funds to cover travel costs for people traveling out of the Lone Star State to get abortions, claiming that the city is misappropriating the funds in violation of the state constitution.

  • September 27, 2024

    Homeowners Can Use Reservation Roads During Tribal Fight

    A Wisconsin federal judge has ruled that non-Indian homeowners in the town of Lac du Flambeau may continue to drive on four roads within a Chippewa reservation as the U.S. government joins the tribe in its fight against the town over their respective rights to access.

  • September 27, 2024

    New Orleans Inspector Indicted For Bribing Top City Official

    A New Orleans resident and his home inspection company were indicted in Louisiana federal court Friday on charges that he operated a yearslong scheme of taking bribes to let unlicensed electricians work on hundreds of homes and bribing top city officials to look the other way.

  • September 27, 2024

    Osage Nation Says DOI Can't Avoid Its $4.9M Funding Suit

    The Osage Nation is fighting a bid by the U.S. Department of the Interior to bring the tribe's $4.9 million lawsuit over self-determination to a quick end, telling a D.C. federal judge that he has the jurisdiction to rule on the case.

  • September 27, 2024

    SEC Drops Case Against Marcum CPA After High Court Ruling

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission quietly dropped an in-house proceeding Friday against a Marcum LLP accountant whose case was called into question by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that curtailed the agency's use of its administrative courts.

  • September 27, 2024

    Conn. Justice Can't Stomach Insurer's 'Omelet' Of Notices

    The Connecticut Supreme Court on Friday seemed skeptical of workers' compensation carrier Ace American Insurance Co.'s assertion that one of two allegedly contradictory letters to a roofing contractor functioned as a legally sufficient policy cancellation notice one month before a worker's injury.

  • September 27, 2024

    FCC Chief Quotes Taylor Swift In Tough Stance On Deepfakes

    Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed during a speech Friday to take a strong position on enforcing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act against AI-generated robocalls and noted the FCC is considering new AI election-related disclosure regulations, quoting pop singer Taylor Swift who said, "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • 7 Takeaways For Investment Advisers From FinCEN AML Rule

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    With a new FinCEN rule that will require covered investment advisers to implement anti-money laundering programs and comply with extra recordkeeping requirements by 2026, companies should begin planning necessary updates to their policies and procedures by focusing on seven of the rule’s key requirements, identified by attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What VC Fund Settlement Means For DEI Grant Programs

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    An unexpected settlement in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund, based on specific details of an Atlanta venture capital fund's challenged minority grant program, leaves the legal landscape wide open for organizations with similar programs supporting diversity, equity and inclusion to chart a path forward, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Opinion

    A Fuzzy Label With Bite: FTC Must Define Surveillance Pricing

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently issued orders to eight companies — including Mastercard, McKinsey and Chase — seeking information on "surveillance pricing," but the order doesn't explain the term or make the distinction between legal and illegal practices, leaving any company that uses personalized pricing in the dark, says Chris Wlach at Huge.

  • Opinion

    CMS' New 'Breakthrough' Device Policy Shows Little Promise

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ recent procedural notice outlining a new Medicare coverage pathway for breakthrough medical devices will, at best, be a failed experiment and, at worst, result in Medicare beneficiaries denied access to innovative treatments, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Missouri Injunction A Setback For State Anti-ESG Rules

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    A Missouri federal court’s recent order enjoining the state’s anti-ESG rules comes amid actions by state legislatures to revise or invalidate similar legislation imposing disclosure and consent requirements around environmental, social and governance investing, and could be a blueprint for future challenges, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • An Overview Of New Export Controls On Advanced Tech

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    With a new rule that took effect this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security continues to expand export controls on advanced technologies, including semiconductor, additive manufacturing and quantum computing, in coordination with international partners, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Nuclear Waste Storage Questions Justices May Soon Address

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    The petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas stands out for a number of reasons — including a deepening circuit split regarding the NRC's nuclear waste storage authority under the Atomic Energy Act, and broader administrative law implications, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • How States Are Approaching AI Workplace Discrimination

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    As legislators across the U.S. have begun addressing algorithmic discrimination in the workplace, attorneys at Reed Smith provide an overview of the status, applicability and provisions of 13 state and local bills.

  • SBA Proposal Materially Alters Contractor Recertification

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    The Small Business Administration's new proposed rule on recertification affects eligibility for set-aside contracts, significantly alters the landscape for mergers and acquisitions in the government contracts industry, and could have other unintended downstream consequences, says Sam Finnerty at PilieroMazza.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges

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    The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • DOJ Must Overcome Hurdles In RealPage Antitrust Case

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent claims that RealPage's pricing software violates the Sherman Act mark a creative, and apparently contradictory, shift in the agency's approach to algorithmic price-fixing that will face several key challenges, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • What To Know About CFPB Stance On Confidentiality Terms

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    A recent circular from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau represents a growing effort across government agencies to address overbroad confidentiality agreements, and gives employers insight into the bureau's perspective on the issue as it relates to the Consumer Financial Protection Act, say Holly Williamson and Elizabeth King at Hunton.

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