Public Policy

  • January 13, 2025

    Interior Department Approves Ore. Tribal Casino Amid Lawsuit

    The U.S. Department of the Interior gave its final approval to Oregon's first off-reservation casino amid litigation that looked to block the project, ending a 13-year application process for the Coquille Indian Tribe.

  • January 13, 2025

    Tax Firm Asks Court To Ax Final IRS Microcaptive Rules

    A global tax services provider asked a Texas federal court to vacate finalized tax rules requiring the reporting of certain transactions involving captive insurance companies deemed as potentially abusive, arguing the guidance goes beyond the agency's authority.

  • January 13, 2025

    Mich. Pot Agency Says Processor Violated State Regulations

    Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency has filed a formal complaint against a Mt. Morris cannabis processor, saying that it handled hemp isolate without having a license to do so.

  • January 13, 2025

    Trump Taps Gibson Dunn Partner For EPA's No. 2 Post

    President-elect Donald Trump said he intends to nominate David Fotouhi, a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, to serve in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's No. 2 post during his administration.

  • January 13, 2025

    RFK Jr.'s Wash. Anti-Vax Suit Can't Get High Court Save

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid for an emergency order to temporarily block a state of Washington medical board investigation into alleged anti-vaccine statements made by retired doctors.

  • January 13, 2025

    Sen. Warren To Grill Treasury Pick On Trump's Tax Agenda

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., plans to ask Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday about President-elect Donald Trump's tax agenda and plans for the Internal Revenue Service, according to a letter she sent the nominee.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ore. Tax Court Says No Depreciation On Residences

    The owners of a pair of Oregon residences were denied depreciation deductions against their state income taxes because they did not demonstrate that the homes were income-producing properties, the state tax court said.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Mull Grammar In First Step Act Resentencing Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court grappled with grammar-heavy arguments Monday over whether lighter sentences under the First Step Act should apply to defendants who were sentenced before the 2018 law was enacted but later resentenced after their original sentences were thrown out.

  • January 13, 2025

    Chamber Challenges FTC And DOJ Merger Filings Overhaul

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have filed a legal challenge contesting the looming overhaul to merger filing notification requirements that the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department say will fill information gaps, but that the Texas federal lawsuit contends is overly burdensome and unjustified.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ore. Court OKs Farm Tax Break For Landfill, Corn Maze

    Portions of property in a farming operation used for a corn maze and for a landfill that was part of a remediation effort are eligible for a special agricultural property tax assessment, the Oregon Tax Court ruled.

  • January 13, 2025

    Contractor Drops Mich. Supreme Court 'Fees For Fees' Appeal

    A general contractor has moved to dismiss its Michigan Supreme Court appeal of an attorney-fee award that was slashed because the contractor was found responsible for dragging out litigation with a road agency after receiving the public records it sued the agency to obtain. 

  • January 13, 2025

    Ind. Bill Would Restrict Property Tax Referendum Placement

    Indiana would limit when school corporations may place referendums authorizing certain property tax levies on a ballot to general elections, under a bill introduced Monday in the state House of Representatives.

  • January 13, 2025

    IRS Eases Process Of Insurance Co. Alternate Tax Revocation

    The Internal Revenue Service laid out a streamlined process Monday by which certain insurance companies that took an elective application of an alternative tax may obtain automatic consent to revoke that election.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ind. Senate Bill Seeks To Cap Local Property Tax Hikes

    Indiana would not allow a political subdivision to increase its property tax levy if there is not an increase in the subdivision's assessed value under a bill introduced Monday in the state Senate.

  • January 13, 2025

    FTC Says It Has Power To Modify Meta Privacy Order

    The Federal Trade Commission has rejected Meta's argument that the agency lacks authority to modify a $5 billion data privacy settlement as the social media giant continues fighting an order barring it from monetizing children's data.

  • January 13, 2025

    Special Counsel's Report On Trump's DC Case Released

    With a Florida federal judge's permission on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland released the first volume of former special counsel Jack Smith's report regarding his now-abandoned election-interference case against Donald Trump in D.C.

  • January 13, 2025

    Tax-Exempt Regs Should Cover Trust Payments, Tribes Say

    Five tribal leaders told the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday that trust payments distributed to members, including those issued to minors and special-needs individuals, should be included among the tribal welfare benefits that recent proposed rules would exempt from federal income taxes.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ga. Waste Authority Sues To Block County's Audit Attempt

    A Georgia county's solid waste authority, whose finances came under scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation last year, has sued its county's government to block an effort by the county to force inspections and audits of its waste facilities.

  • January 13, 2025

    Colo. Justices To Consider When Late Filings Are Excusable

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an oil company's case arguing its "minor" mistake of filing an appeal with a trial court, which was refiled the day after a deadline, should be excused.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ky. House Bill Seeks Referendum Toward Axing Property Tax

    Kentucky would put forward a referendum asking voters to give lawmakers the power to eliminate the state's property tax by exempting all property classes from tax under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

  • January 13, 2025

    NY Judge Unmoved By Media Dustups In Mayor's Bribe Case

    Prosecutors and defense counsel should watch what they say to the press, a Manhattan federal judge overseeing New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case warned in an order on Monday, though the judge declined to chastise either side over alleged rule violations.

  • January 13, 2025

    FCC Defends T-Mobile, Sprint Privacy Fine In DC Circ.

    The Federal Communications Commission is defending its decision to hit T-Mobile and Sprint with a combined $92 million in fines for selling users' sensitive location data, telling the D.C. Circuit that the wireless carriers could have received a jury trial but were not owed one.

  • January 13, 2025

    Mich. AG Says She Is Immune From Flint Water Suit

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has told a federal court she is immune from allegations that she stripped due process rights from former Gov. Rick Snyder's aide when he was among the officials indicted in the aftermath of the Flint water crisis.

  • January 13, 2025

    Dems Seek Postponement Of Interior Secretary Hearing

    Democrats on the U.S. Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Monday asked for the nomination hearing for secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to be delayed, claiming they haven't received the requisite documents.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Won't Hear Farming Partnership's Crop Policy Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a Ninth Circuit decision backing the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.'s conclusion that a farming partnership seeking to recover its $1.9 million policy limit didn't qualify for coverage.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 230 Debates Will Continue, With Or Without TikTok

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    Regardless of whether TikTok is forced to shut down in the U.S. in the coming weeks, legal disputes will continue over social media platforms' responsibility under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for harms allegedly caused by content shared on their apps, says Carla Varriale-Barker at Segal McCambridge.

  • Impact Of Successful Challenges To SEC's Rulemaking Ability

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    In 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission faced significant legal challenges to its aggressive rulemaking agenda as several of its rules were vacated by the Fifth Circuit, which could hinder the SEC's ability to enact rules extending beyond express statutory authority in the future, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Takeaways From DOJ, FTC End To Collaboration Guidelines

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    The Federal Trade Commission's and U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision to withdraw the guidelines for collaborations among competitors may reflect a desire for clearer parameters by emphasizing case law on specific ventures, but it also carries the potential to chill some future collaboration, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • 5 Transition Tools Trump Could Use To Implement His Agenda

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    President-elect Donald Trump will have several tools available to him to halt or otherwise claw back federal regulations promulgated during the Biden administration, including reconciliation, executive orders and memoranda, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 5 Privacy Law Trends That Will Continue In 2025

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    While preparing privacy programs for the year, companies should keep in mind several developments from 2024 that will carry over — namely, in the realm of artificial intelligence, passive data collection, combining data from multiple sources, privacy program expectations and managing vendors, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Justices Seem Focused On NEPA's Limits In Utah Rail Case

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    After last month's oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, the court appears poised to forcefully reiterate that the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to review only those environmental impacts within their control, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • A Look At PCAOB's Record-Breaking Enforcement In 2024

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    The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in 2024 brought more enforcement actions against auditors and imposed increasingly higher monetary penalties, showing that it was not afraid to exercise its power to fine and reprimand firms, a trend that will likely continue in 2025, say attorneys at Briglia Hundley.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • The OIG Report: Preparing For Oversight In 2025

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    Across sectors, Office of Inspector General work plans and challenge reports for 2025 provide a trove of information on the issues and industries that will likely be the focus of government oversight in the year to come, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

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    Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

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    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Takeaways From SEC's Mixed Results In '24 Crypto Litigation

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    Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new leadership seems likely to create a more favorable cryptocurrency regulatory environment, it must also confront the consequences of, and lingering questions raised by, the SEC's 2024 policy of investigating and charging cryptocurrency trading platforms for operating unregistered exchanges, say attorneys at Dechert.

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