Public Policy

  • December 12, 2024

    NY Courts Defy Watchdog, Won't Release Judicial Ethics Data

    Counsel for the New York State Unified Court System told the state transparency watchdog Wednesday it has no obligation to release judges' and court officials' financial disclosure data under public records law.

  • December 12, 2024

    Senate Judiciary Committee Sends Last Nominees To Floor

    The Senate Judiciary Committee sent the names of two judicial nominees for California to the full Senate for confirmation on Thursday along party-line votes.

  • December 12, 2024

    Ex-OMB GC Mark Paoletta Returns To Role In Trump Admin

    The attorney who served as the general counsel of the Office of Management & Budget in President-elect Donald Trump's first administration has been tapped by the incoming president to once again take the reins of that agency's legal work.

  • December 12, 2024

    Fla. Justices Call For 50 More Judgeships

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday certified a need for 48 new trial judges in the state and two appellate judges in the Sixth District Court of Appeal after a statewide judicial workload assessment found judges straining to keep up with increasingly complex litigation.

  • December 12, 2024

    US Expands Tariffs On Chinese Tungsten, Polysilicon Imports

    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced additional tariff increases for imports on certain tungsten products, wafers and polysilicon from the People's Republic of China as part of a review process in an investigation of the country's acts, policies and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation.

  • December 12, 2024

    Ex-FBI Informant Admits To False Accusations In Biden Case

    A former FBI informant accused of making fake criminal accusations against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, will plead guilty to tax evasion and falsifying records in a federal investigation, according to a deal filed Thursday in a California federal court.

  • December 12, 2024

    Treasury Seeks To Pause Anti-Laundering Law Injunction

    The U.S. Treasury Department asked a Texas federal judge to pause his nationwide preliminary injunction of the Corporate Transparency Act pending an appeal of his recent decision that found Congress likely overstepped its constitutional authority when it wrote the anti-money laundering law.

  • December 12, 2024

    Calif. Man Indicted In $8.8M Phishing Scheme

    A California man was indicted on charges he participated in a phishing email scheme that stole about $8.8 million from bank accounts belonging to businesses, individuals and the town of Bristol, Rhode Island.

  • December 12, 2024

    NC Republicans Override Veto Of Bill Curbing Dems' Power

    Republican lawmakers have used the final days of their supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a Hurricane Helene disaster relief bill that strips his and other Democrat-controlled offices of certain powers.

  • December 12, 2024

    NTIA's Davidson Stepping Down Jan. 20

    The head of the U.S. Department of Commerce branch in charge of managing federal use of the airwaves as well as a sprawling broadband deployment program confirmed Thursday he will leave the role in January when the Biden administration ends.

  • December 12, 2024

    Advocacy Group Says NCAA's NIL Deal Not 'Illegal' After All

    The advocacy group National College Players Association retracted its condemnation of the NCAA's $2.78 billion settlement of a class action over name, image and likeness compensation, admitting six days after claiming that it broke several states' laws that it "has not been deemed illegal in any way."

  • December 12, 2024

    FTC Dusts Off Price Bias Law In Booze Distributor Suit

    The Federal Trade Commission sued Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits LLC in California federal court on Thursday, dusting off a long-dormant price discrimination law with allegations that the country's largest alcohol distributor offered dramatic and unjustified discounts to large retailers that left smaller stores in the lurch.

  • December 12, 2024

    JUDGES Act Passes House But Biden Veto Looms

    The House voted 236-173 on Thursday to pass a bill to add more judgeships, which tees it up for a likely veto by the president, as many Democrats have soured on the measure after Donald Trump's victory at the polls.

  • December 12, 2024

    Banks Sue As CFPB Rolls Out $5 Overdraft Fee Rule

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that it has adopted a general $5 fee cap for overdraft programs at larger banks and credit unions, finalizing it as part of a new rule that banking industry groups have rapidly mobilized to block with a lawsuit.

  • December 11, 2024

    5th Circ. Tosses SEC's OK Of Nasdaq's Board Diversity Rule

    A split Fifth Circuit ruled Wednesday that Nasdaq cannot implement U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-approved rules requiring that companies listed on the exchange disclose board diversity data, finding that the stock exchange's rules run afoul of federal securities law.

  • December 11, 2024

    Feds Fire Back At TikTok's Bid To Halt Sale-Or-Ban Law

    The federal government Wednesday urged the D.C. Circuit to reject TikTok's bid to pause legislation poised to bar the app from the U.S. market next month while it takes its First Amendment fight to the Supreme Court, arguing TikTok is "downplaying" national security concerns that prompted the law.

  • December 11, 2024

    FTC, DOJ Pull Antitrust Competitor Collaboration Guidelines

    The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that they are withdrawing Clinton-era antitrust guidelines for collaborations among competitors, saying they "no longer provide reliable guidance" about how collaborations are assessed.

  • December 11, 2024

    Big Tech, 'Censorship' Animate Trump FTC Picks

    President-elect Donald Trump's picks Tuesday to lead and join the Federal Trade Commission show he plans to continue Washington's focus on antitrust enforcement against major technology platforms, while also signaling a potential shift toward more populist Republican concerns alleging that Big Tech censors conservative voices.

  • December 11, 2024

    Grocery Store Rulings Back Enforcers' Merger Approach

    Federal and state enforcers scored key victories Tuesday with a pair of court rulings blocking the planned $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons that largely adopted their allegations about the deal and rejected a proposal to unload nearly 600 stores to save it.

  • December 11, 2024

    Texas Sues 3M And DuPont Over Forever Chemicals

    Texas launched a suit against 3M and DuPont for "misrepresentations and key omissions" the companies made about so-called forever chemicals, telling a state court on Wednesday that the companies lied to the public about the harmful chemicals for over 50 years.

  • December 11, 2024

    Pot Farmer Opposes Sanctions In Suit Over Mistaken Raid

    An Oklahoma medical marijuana cultivator whose property was destroyed when state drug enforcers mistakenly raided his legal farm is pushing back on efforts to hit him with sanctions for allegedly being belligerent during a deposition, telling a federal court that he's offered to sit down for a second round of questioning.

  • December 11, 2024

    Dems, GOP Agree That China Cyberspying Is A Problem

    For all their disagreements, Republicans and Democrats were largely singing the same tune Wednesday afternoon at a Senate hearing on the security of the nation's communications networks — that they're worried, and the government needs to get to work on a solution.

  • December 11, 2024

    Montana Justices Uphold Temporary Block On Trans Care Ban

    Montana's highest court delivered a key victory for transgender youths and healthcare practitioners on Wednesday in a decision finding that privacy rights afforded by Montana's constitution favor a halt to the state's ban on gender-affirming care while litigation against it proceeds.

  • December 11, 2024

    Bipartisan Bill Would Sunset Afghan Oversight Office

    Congressional representatives Jason Crow and Young Kim introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday geared at sunsetting the office responsible for keeping Congress up to date with reconstruction activities in Afghanistan for the past 16 years.

  • December 11, 2024

    Seminole Tribe Can't Intervene In Gaming Ad Suit, Court Told

    A class action party is objecting to the Seminole Tribe of Florida's proposed intervention in the lawsuit, saying the tribe's interests are adequately protected by vendor Seminole Hard Rock Digital, which has already raised the tribe's defenses in successive motions to dismiss.

Expert Analysis

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • What To Make Of Dueling Corporate Transparency Act Rulings

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    Although challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act abound — as highlighted by recent federal court decisions from Alabama and Oregon taking opposite positions on its constitutionality — the act is still law, so companies should comply with their filing requirements or face the potential consequences, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • California's AI Safety Bill Veto: The Path Forward

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's veto of a bill that sought to impose stringent regulations on advanced artificial intelligence model development has sparked a renewed debate on how best to balance innovation with safety in the rapidly evolving AI landscape, say Bobby Malhotra and Carson Swope at Winston & Strawn.

  • Staying Off The CFPB's Financial Services Offender Registry

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's soon-to-launch registry of financial services companies that have faced public enforcement orders is designed to ratchet up long-term scrutiny of entities that could become repeat offenders, so companies should take their new compliance and filing requirements seriously, say Andrea Mitchell and Chris Napier at Mitchell Sandler.

  • New TCPA Rule Faces Uncertain Future Post-Loper Bright

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    The Federal Communications Commission's new rule aiming to eliminate lead generators' use of unlawful robocalls is now in doubt with the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, and the Eleventh Circuit's Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC is poised to be a test case of the agency's ability to enforce the Telephone Consumer Protection Act post-Chevron, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • A Look At Calif.'s New AI Law For Health Insurers

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    A newly enacted California law prohibits artificial intelligence tools from making medical necessity determinations for healthcare service plans or disability insurers, addressing core questions that have arisen around AI's role in coverage decisions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • New HHS Research Misconduct Rules Bring Seismic Changes

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    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new rule regarding research misconduct investigations brings significant changes that focus on remediation, appeals and confidentiality, while other changes could result in institutions causing undue harm to scientists accused of such misconduct, say attorneys at Cohen Seglias.

  • To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations

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    A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.

  • Earned Wage Access Laws Form A Prickly Policy Patchwork

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    Conflicting earned wage access laws across the country, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently issued rule, mean providers must adopt a proactive compliance approach and adjust business models where needed, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What FDIC Expansion Of Change In Bank Control Could Mean

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    A recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. proposal pertaining to the Change in Bank Control Act has the potential to create uncertainty around investments by mutual fund complexes in banking organizations, which represent a stable source of capital for the banking industry, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • HSR Amendments Intensify Merger Filing Burdens, Data Risk

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    The antitrust agencies' long-awaited changes to premerger notification rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act stand to significantly increase the time and cost involved in preparing an initial HSR notification, and will require more proactive attention to data issues, says Andrew Szwez at FTI Technology.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.

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