Public Policy

  • August 01, 2024

    Direct File Will Be Available In New Mexico, IRS Announces

    New Mexico will participate in the Internal Revenue Service's free electronic tax return filing program known as Direct File in the 2025 tax filing season, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    Bistate Transit Agency Fights NJ Comptroller's Info Bid

    The Delaware River Port Authority accused the acting New Jersey state comptroller of overstepping his authority by attempting to compel it to produce documents and testimony via two subpoenas, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Garden State federal court.

  • August 01, 2024

    Colo. Panel Finds Campaign Disclosure Rule Unconstitutional

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday found that a requirement for ballot issue committees to list their registered agent on election communications is unconstitutionally compelled speech, reasoning that the public doesn't learn much from knowing a committee's legal representative.

  • August 01, 2024

    Missouri Gov. Announces Ban On Psychoactive Hemp Wares

    Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday announced a ban on the sale of intoxicating consumable cannabis products manufactured outside the state's regulated adult-use marijuana market, marking the latest effort by a state to rein in psychoactive wares derived from federally legal hemp.

  • August 01, 2024

    Novo Nordisk Loses Challenge To Medicare Drug Price Talks

    Another challenge to a Medicare drug price negotiation program has failed after a New Jersey federal judge ruled once again that the program is voluntary and rejected claims that it violates the constitutional rights of pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.

  • August 01, 2024

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission brought its latest case contesting a vertical merger, Tempur Sealy's bid for Mattress Firm, while continuing to battle Microsoft's purchase of Activision and Kroger's purchase of Albertsons, even as the agency allowed several oil deals to move forward without challenge.

  • August 01, 2024

    Texas Judge Pauses Border Buoy Trial After 5th Circ. Ruling

    A federal judge on Thursday postponed a bench trial in the Biden administration's suit against Texas over a border barrier in the Rio Grande after the Fifth Circuit vacated the district court's order for Texas to move the barrier during litigation.

  • August 01, 2024

    Pot Co. Says City Ignored Order To Review App In $14M Suit

    A California cannabis business is suing the city of Chula Vista for nearly $14 million, saying it failed to properly review and score its application for a cannabis license despite orders to do so from a state appeals court.

  • August 01, 2024

    EPA Objects To Colorado Air Permit For Oil And Gas Site

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is directing Colorado officials to revisit an operating permit issued for an oil and gas well site north of Denver, in response to concerns raised by a conservation group.

  • August 01, 2024

    Court Won't Stop FTC Judges In H&R Block False Ad Fight

    The Federal Trade Commission can proceed with its hearing against H&R Block accusing the tax preparation firm of false advertising, a Missouri federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the company's argument that the agency's administrative law judges lack constitutional authority to preside.

  • August 01, 2024

    Judge Denies Bid For Financial Info Of Miami Official's Wife

    A Florida federal judge rejected a bid by two property developers seeking financial records of a Miami commissioner's wife in a garnishment hearing, saying Wednesday their claim isn't supported, although withholding them could work against the official claiming his salary can't be used to pay a $63.5 million judgment.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Panel OKs NLRB Nominees, Setting Up Floor Fight

    A Senate committee on Thursday voted to advance the nomination of National Labor Relations Board Chairman Lauren McFerran and a Seyfarth Shaw LLP partner nominated to fill a Republican vacancy on the board, setting up a high-stakes floor fight over key spots at the agency.

  • August 01, 2024

    DC Panel Wants 2-Year Sanction For Ex-DOJ Atty Jeffrey Clark

    A Washington, D.C., attorney disciplinary panel on Thursday recommended a two-year suspension for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, finding he acted "with truly extraordinary recklessness" when he sought to promote former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election.

  • August 01, 2024

    Ga. Law Allows For Unlawful Voter Removals, Nonprofits Say

    A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the New Georgia Project and A. Philip Randolph Institute seeks to block portions of a Georgia law that they claim makes it easier to unlawfully remove voters from the registration list and accuses a handful of Georgia counties of unlawfully removing voters from the list based on "unvetted documentation and unreliable information."

  • August 01, 2024

    Texas AG Paxton Promotes Deputies From Strategy, Appeals

    The Texas Office of the Attorney General announced a series of promotions Thursday, appointing Ralph Molina as deputy first assistant attorney general, Joseph Mazzara as special counsel to the attorney general and to the first assistant attorney general, Ryan Baasch as associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation and Amy Hilton as chief of the Healthcare Program Enforcement Division.

  • August 01, 2024

    5th Circ. Backs Louisiana's Block Of EPA Chemical Rule

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday refused to overturn a Louisiana agency's move to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing a chemical rule that a neoprene maker says would force it to shut down.

  • August 01, 2024

    GOP Senators Slam 'Burdensome' FDIC Bank Board Proposal

    Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to withdraw proposed rulemaking on corporate governance, contending Wednesday that the proposal would "harm the safety and soundness" of the U.S. banking system.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Passes Bill To 'Systematically' Increase Judgeships

    The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday by voice vote to create 66 new and temporary judgeships to help federal courts handle increasing workloads.

  • August 01, 2024

    KC Royals SVP Joins Dentons In Missouri Office

    The senior vice president and chief external affairs officer for the Kansas City Royals, who has also been chief counsel and staff director at the U.S. House's Veterans Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, has left the ball club to join Dentons, the firm announced Thursday.

  • August 01, 2024

    6th Circ. Dashes Appeal Of Mich. Township's Ex-GC

    A Michigan township's former general counsel was not denied due process when his position was eliminated in 2020, the Sixth Circuit has ruled, agreeing with the district court that the attorney's employment agreement did not guarantee him a job.

  • August 01, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Upholds Trump Gag Order

    A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to strike down a gag order that bars him from threatening court and district attorney staff in his criminal hush money case ahead of his scheduled sentencing next month, as the former president renewed his bid to vacate his conviction following the U.S. Supreme Court's immunity ruling.

  • August 01, 2024

    Bipartisan Senator Team Reintroduces Anti-Deepfake Bill

    Four senators introduced an updated version of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024, or the NO FAKES Act, to combat the creation and distribution of fake replicas of people without their consent, drawing major industry support and some backlash.

  • August 01, 2024

    RTX Didn't Tell Jobseekers Of Lie Detector Ban, Suit Says

    Raytheon Technologies Corp., now RTX Corporation, failed to advise job applicants that Massachusetts bans the use of lie detector tests in hiring decisions, as required by a nearly 40-year-old law, a proposed class action filed in state court alleges.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Energy Panel Advances Permitting Overhaul Bill

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding and speeding up the permitting process for fossil fuel, renewable energy and transmission projects.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Justices Block Drivers From Intervening In PAGA Deal

    The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that ride-hail drivers bringing claims under the state's Private Attorneys General Act lack standing to intervene in a separate case that reached a settlement.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Regulatory Approaches To Psychedelic Clinical Trials

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    Comparing the U.S. and Canada's regulatory frameworks for clinical trials of psychedelic drugs can be useful for designing trial protocols that meet both countries' requirements, which can in turn help diversify patient populations, bolster data robustness and expedite market access, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Sabrina Ramkellawan at AxialBridge.

  • Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond

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    Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.

  • How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving

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    Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • Best Practices For Responding To CBP's Solar Questionnaire

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    U.S. Customs and Border Protection's recently introduced questionnaire to solar importers imposes significant burdens, with the potential for supply chain disruptions and market consolidation, but taking certain steps can assist companies in navigating the new requirements, say Carl Valenstein and Katelyn Hilferty at Morgan Lewis.

  • Exploring Alternatives To Noncompetes Ahead Of FTC Ban

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    Ahead of the Sept. 4 effective date for the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban, employers should seek new ways to protect their proprietary and other sensitive information, including by revising existing confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, says Harvey Linder at Culhane.

  • Parsing Controversial Del. General Corporation Law Proposals

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    In response to issues raised in three recent high-profile Delaware Court of Chancery decisions, many amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law were quickly proposed that, if enacted, would bring significant changes likely to be hotly debated — and litigated — for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Look At US-EU Consumer Finance Talks' Slow First Steps

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    The unhurried and informal nature of planned discussions between the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the European commissioner for justice and consumer protection suggests any coordinated regulatory action on issues like AI and "buy now, pay later" services is still a ways off, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Defuse The Ticking Time Bomb Of US Landfills

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    After recent fires at landfills in Alabama and California sent toxic fumes into surrounding communities, it is clear that existing penalties for landfill mismanagement are insufficient — so policymakers must enact major changes to the way we dispose of solid waste, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • 5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits

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    Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • What Junk Fee Law Means For Biz In California And Beyond

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    Come July 1, companies doing business in California must ensure that the price of any good or service as offered, displayed or advertised is inclusive of all mandatory fees and other charges in compliance with S.B. 478, which may have a far-reaching impact across the country due to wide applicability, say Alexandria Ruiz and Amy Lally at Sidley Austin.

  • EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.

  • 8 Steps Companies Should Take After An Internal Investigation

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    Given the U.S. Department of Justice’s increasing focus on corporate compliance and remediation of misconduct, companies must follow through in several key ways after an internal investigation to ensure history does not repeat itself, say Jonathan Aronie and Joseph Jay at Sheppard Mullin.

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