Public Policy

  • July 10, 2024

    DOI Pledges $120M For Tribal Climate Resiliency Efforts

    The Biden administration said Tuesday that it's making $120 million available to help Native American tribes plan and prepare for climate change threats.

  • July 10, 2024

    Prove Steel Is North American Or Pay Levy, White House Says

    Importers bringing steel and aluminum goods from Mexico must prove that the metals were forged in North America or face national security tariffs starting Wednesday, as part of the Biden administration's effort to counter Chinese goods rerouted through Mexico to avoid duties.

  • July 09, 2024

    Texas Chief Justice Calls Pulling IDs Over Fines 'Stupid'

    The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a Tuesday hearing on funding civil legal aid that the practice of revoking a person's driver's license for an inability to pay court fees was "stupid."

  • July 09, 2024

    CFPB's Latest Rules Agenda Includes Blast From Fed Past

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may try to resurrect part of a defunct Federal Reserve regulation that banned banks from employing some consumer credit contract terms, according to a new rulemaking agenda from the agency that also hints at a plan B for its $8 credit card late-fee rule.

  • July 09, 2024

    With Chevron's End, LGBTQ+ Healthcare Regs Face New Risk

    The end of Chevron deference is already disrupting regulation meant to protect LGBTQ+ access to healthcare, with three federal judges blocking enforcement of a Biden administration rule prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in healthcare.

  • July 09, 2024

    Industry, FCC Argue Net Neutrality's Fate After Chevron's Fall

    Industry groups and the Federal Communications Commission filed competing briefs with the Sixth Circuit over whether to delay the enforcement of net neutrality rules after the U.S. Supreme Court tossed the longstanding Chevron doctrine that gave wide deference to agency decision making.

  • July 09, 2024

    Private Funds Say 5th Circ. Ruling Sinks SEC's AI, Cyber Bids

    Several trade groups for the private fund industry urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday to withdraw rule proposals on artificial intelligence and investment adviser outsourcing and cybersecurity risk management, in light of a Fifth Circuit ruling that dealt a blow to the agency's private fund oversight.

  • July 09, 2024

    BCBS Unit Fails To Stop Religious Vaccine Objector Suits

    A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan subsidiary can't escape claims it treated differently employees who sought accommodations from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a Michigan federal judge ruled Tuesday, finding it plausible that religious discrimination "was at least a motivating factor" in the way the workers were dealt with.

  • July 09, 2024

    NY Judge In Trump Case OKs Narrow Subpoena For Atty

    An attorney who told reporters he held an impromptu hallway conversation with a New York state judge in the lead-up to February's $464.6 million civil fraud judgment against Donald Trump must turn over any communications he had with the court regarding the underlying action, according to a Tuesday ruling.

  • July 09, 2024

    FCC Settles Call Caption Privacy Probe For $34.6M

    The Federal Communications Commission has secured a $34.6 million settlement with phone call captioning provider CaptionCall for holding onto phone call content too long and other agency rule violations.

  • July 09, 2024

    CFPB Moves To Unfreeze Credit Card Late Fee Rule In Texas

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has asked a Texas federal judge to formally dissolve a preliminary injunction that has been blocking the agency's $8 credit card late fee rule from taking effect, arguing that the justification of the injunction — the CFPB's allegedly unconstitutional funding structure — no longer holds.

  • July 09, 2024

    Google Says Social Media Ruling Hurts Common Carrier Case

    Google is telling an Ohio state court that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling bolsters its case against being reclassified as a common carrier.

  • July 09, 2024

    Texas County Made Sloppy Electioneering Rule, 5th Circ. Told

    An attorney representing conservative activists in North Texas told the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday that electioneering rules in Palo Pinto County were not content-neutral because they specifically targeted political speech, urging the court to hand them a win because of the "sloppiness" of the newly crafted regulations.

  • July 09, 2024

    FCC Majority Takes Heat From House GOP Over New Regs

    Democratic leaders of the Federal Communications Commission defended their regulatory policies Tuesday against House GOP critics who accused the agency of tacking in a partisan direction and passing new rules that Republicans said exceed the agency's statutory limits.

  • July 09, 2024

    Fuel Groups Ask Justices To Revisit Calif. Clean Air Act Waiver

    Fuel producers and industry groups called on the U.S. Supreme Court to review the D.C. Circuit's decision to uphold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program.

  • July 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Presses SEC On Whistleblower Award Calculation

    The Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case accusing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of shortchanging two whistleblowers who uncovered the largest fraud in Texas history, with one judge pressing the agency's attorney over how much money it was able to collect after the fraudster declared bankruptcy.

  • July 09, 2024

    'Plain English, Graphics, Pictures': Enviro Policy Post-Chevron

    Environmental policymakers will have to start writing their rules using "plain English, graphics, pictures" and other tactics to make the rationale behind agency and congressional policy crystal clear to judges in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down Chevron deference, attorneys told Law360.

  • July 09, 2024

    'Stop Right There': Judge Slams King County Deportation Args

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday criticized King County's argument that its executive order banning deportation flights from a Seattle airport did not force a fuel supplier to stop servicing the flights, with one judge calling it preposterous.

  • July 09, 2024

    Yellen Says Customer Due Diligence Proposal Planned For Fall

    Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told members of Congress Tuesday that her department is aiming to release a proposal this fall to revise the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's customer due diligence rule, while facing criticism over "duplicative" reporting regimes.

  • July 09, 2024

    DC Circ. Sends EPA Chemical Test Order Back For Review

    The D.C. Circuit scrapped a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency order directing seven chemical manufacturers and processors to test the effects of 1,1,2-trichloroethane on the reproductive systems of birds, holding that it improperly relied on nonpublic information to justify the need for the testing.

  • July 09, 2024

    Aetna Beats Blue Cross In NC Health Plan Contract Battle

    An administrative judge affirmed North Carolina's switch of its employee and retiree health plan to Aetna, reasoning Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to prove state officials made errors favoring the competitor when evaluating bids.

  • July 09, 2024

    3rd Circ. Questions DuPont Family Trust's ERISA Status

    In a hearing Tuesday about a dispute between the DuPont family and its domestic workers over trust money, Third Circuit judges quizzed both sides on the level of involvement needed from trustees or the family for the fund to be considered a plan covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

  • July 09, 2024

    Philly EB-5 Investors Can Seek Visa Outside Court, Panel Says

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday found three Chinese EB-5 investors who sought to fast-track a visa by putting their money into a Philadelphia transit project can still do so without litigation in a decision backing a trial court ruling dismissing their case.

  • July 09, 2024

    Bill Would Approve Largest Tribal Water Rights Settlement

    A bipartisan group of Arizona federal lawmakers has introduced legislation that, if approved, would authorize the country's largest Native American water rights settlement and resolve claims by the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute and Hopi tribes.

  • July 09, 2024

    Texas Refinery Says EPA Needs To Rule On CAA Exception

    A small refinery based in Sugar Land, Texas, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not meet its deadline to rule on whether the refinery can get an exemption to federal renewable fuel requirements, telling a Texas federal court Monday the agency was damaging its business.

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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