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Public Policy
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October 23, 2024
USDA Unveils $1.5B In Conservation, Climate-Smart Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday revealed a $1.5 billion investment in 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the agency's Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
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October 23, 2024
Norfolk's 'Creepy' Cameras Invade Drivers' Privacy, Suit Says
Norfolk and its police department have installed "downright creepy" surveillance cameras with automatic license plate readers that track drivers' every move throughout the city without a warrant and keep the information in a database, in violation of the Fourth Amendment rights, alleges a lawsuit filed Monday in Virginia federal court.
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October 23, 2024
American Airlines Fined $50 Million For Disability Violations
American Airlines received a $50 million penalty from the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday for "serious violations" of disability laws protecting people in wheelchairs, with the department saying the violations included injuring or mishandling disabled travelers, damaging their wheelchairs or failing to return the devices promptly.
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October 23, 2024
EPA Can't Restart Crafting Smog Rule, DC Circ. Told
A group of Democratic-led state governments is telling the D.C. Circuit that the Clean Air Act doesn't mandate reconsideration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2023 "Good Neighbor" emissions regulation as two steel manufacturers say.
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October 23, 2024
Where Harris, Trump Stand On Housing, Wall Street Landlords
In the run-up to the November presidential election, Kamala Harris has made housing one of the keystones of her campaign platform as she seeks to take on Wall Street landlords and tackle a nationwide housing affordability crisis, while Donald Trump believes illegal immigration is largely to blame for rising home prices.
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October 23, 2024
United Worker Fired Over Online Pics Gets Bias Suit Revived
A California appeals court revived a United Airlines flight attendant's sex bias suit claiming she was unlawfully fired for appearing in uniform on a social media page advertising her OnlyFans account, crediting her argument that male flight attendants didn't face the same consequences for similar behavior.
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October 23, 2024
Roche CEO Says Novo-Catalent Deal Should Be Blocked
The CEO of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche injected himself into the controversy surrounding Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion acquisition of Catalent on Wednesday, stating that he thinks antitrust authorities should block the deal due to its anticompetitive implications.
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October 23, 2024
CPAs Prepare For Uncertainty As TCJA Expiration Looms
Certified public accountants and financial planners are preparing to help their clients navigate the uncertainty around next year's expiration of major parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as lawmakers gear up to decide who will bear the brunt of any resulting tax changes.
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October 23, 2024
Atlanta VA Doctor Abused Power And Patients, Jury Told
Federal prosecutors told a Georgia federal jury Wednesday that in the coming days, they'll hear from "four women who served their country," who placed their trust and care into the hands of a longtime physician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in return were sexually assaulted by him.
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October 23, 2024
Feds Urge High Court To Deny Cig Cos.' Bid To Ax New Rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court not to grant certiorari to a group of tobacco companies aiming to vacate a rule requiring larger warnings on cigarette boxes, saying the Fifth Circuit rightly found the proposed warnings don't violate the First Amendment's protection against compelled speech.
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October 22, 2024
Ex-Yale Student Wants Full Acquittal Record Sent To DHS
An expelled Yale University student on Tuesday urged the Second Circuit to quickly vacate orders barring him from giving the U.S. Department of Homeland Security an unredacted transcript that resulted in his acquittal of sex crimes, saying a delay could seal his deportation and thus his execution by the Taliban.
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October 22, 2024
Connecticut GOP Challenges Ex-Aide's Bias Suit Timeline
A former press secretary for Republican lawmakers in the Connecticut House of Representatives failed to prevent or correct alleged workplace harassment that included cursing by waiting a year to report a key incident cited in her complaint, state House Republicans argued in an answer to the ex-spokesperson's discrimination lawsuit.
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October 22, 2024
Wis. Voting Portal Fails Data Security Test, Suit Says
A pair of Wisconsin voters are pushing to stop the state from continuing to use an online voter registration system that they claim lacks adequate data security measures, including safeguards to prevent the dissemination of fraudulent absentee ballots, according to a lawsuit filed.
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October 22, 2024
Calif. Panel Says Panera Must Face PAGA Claims
A California state appeals court on Monday reversed a state trial court's ruling compelling a Panera restaurant employee to arbitrate Private Attorneys General Act claims against the bakery and café chain, saying an arbitration agreement the worker had entered explicitly excluded PAGA claims.
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October 22, 2024
Ex-Google GC Must Be Investigated By Calif. Bar, Groups Say
A trio of groups led by the American Economic Liberties Project on Tuesday pressed the State Bar of California to investigate former Google general counsel Kent Walker for "coaching" the company to "engage in widespread and illegal destruction of records relevant to multiple ongoing federal trials."
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October 22, 2024
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Cops Want 2020 Protest Suit Dismissed
Several Fort Lauderdale police officers Tuesday urged a Florida federal court to toss a proposed class action brought by demonstrators alleging their civil rights were violated during a 2020 George Floyd protest, saying they're entitled to qualified immunity.
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October 22, 2024
Copper Mining Co. Asks High Court To Toss Sacred Site Suit
A copper mining company that wants to build operations in a tribally sacred part of the Tonto National Forest has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a challenge to a Ninth Circuit ruling that allows for the transfer of nearly 2,500 acres of land.
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October 22, 2024
Colo. Justices Doubt Geico Agreed With Man's Crash Claims
Justices of Colorado's highest court appeared skeptical Tuesday of a man's claim that his noneconomic damages for injuries from a car accident were uncontested by his insurance carrier, with one justice citing the policyholder's rejection of settlement offers as evidence of a dispute.
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October 22, 2024
Suit Over Wash. Ban On 'DIY' Rape Evidence Kits Nixed
A Washington federal judge has tossed a challenge to a state ban on the sale of "DIY" DNA collection kits to sexual assault survivors, rejecting a kit developer's arguments that the ban infringes on its First Amendment rights.
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October 22, 2024
Fla. Says 1st Amendment Doesn't Protect 'False' Abortion Ad
The Florida Department of Health said Tuesday that a campaign ad promoting an abortion rights ballot initiative is not protected by the First Amendment because it is an "out-and-out falsehood" that causes harm by misleading residents about the availability of emergency medical services in the state.
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October 22, 2024
11th Circ. Signals Fla. Gun Ban Turns On 'Age Of Majority'
Whether the full Eleventh Circuit will strike down or uphold Florida's firearms sales ban to anyone under 21 appeared to hinge Tuesday on whether the court adopts modern notions of when adulthood begins or prior beliefs understood as "18-year-old Johnny on his way to the militia," circa 1789.
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October 22, 2024
Calif. Official Cops To Taking Bribes For $10M In Contracts
A member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors has admitted to steering $10 million worth of COVID-19 relief funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter in exchange for more than $500,000 in bribes, California federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
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October 22, 2024
Don't Let Cities Eat Into Broadband Revenue, Think Tank Says
Giving local governments free rein to start charging broadband providers new franchise fees based on their use of public rights of way would be a bad idea that would drive up consumer costs and hinder the growth of connectivity, a free market think tank has argued.
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October 22, 2024
Zekelman Suit Says Mexico Steel Harming US Industry
Steel pipe and tube maker Zekelman Industries Inc. told a D.C. federal judge that Mexico has dumped subsidized steel products into the U.S. and "devastated" a critical domestic industry in violation of a trade agreement that allowed the country to avoid tariffs former President Donald Trump imposed.
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October 22, 2024
Crypto Bills Have Lame Duck Potential, Rep. Hill Says
The chair of the U.S. House's digital asset subcommittee said Tuesday he is "still optimistic" a market structure bill for crypto and a framework for so-called stablecoins might move forward in some way during the upcoming lame duck session of Congress.
Expert Analysis
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Until Congress Acts, EDNY 'Insider Betting' Case Is Premature
The Eastern District of New York’s novel wire fraud conspiracy indictment in U.S. v. Pham may have prematurely heralded a new era in federal gambling enforcement, but in the absence of an “insider betting” statute, sportsbooks — not prosecutors — should be responsible for enforcing their terms of use, says attorney Jonathan Savella.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation
With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.
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Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement
Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers
As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
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What BIPA Reform Law Means For Biometrics Litigation
A recently signed Illinois law amending the Biometric Information Privacy Act limits defendants' liability exposure on a per-scan basis and clarifies that electronic signatures constitute a valid written release, establishing additional issues that courts will need to address in future BIPA litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan
Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.
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Philly Project Case Renews Ongoing Fraud Theory Tug-Of-War
In its upcoming term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Kousisis v. U.S., a case involving wire fraud convictions related to Philadelphia bridge repair projects, and may once again further rein in prosecutorial attempts to expand theories of fraud beyond core traditional property rights, say Jonathan Halpern and Kyra Rosenzweig at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Proposed Law Would Harm NYC Hospitality Industry
A recently proposed New York City Law that would update hotel licensing and staff coverage requirements could give the city commissioner and unions undue control over the city's hospitality industry, and harm smaller hotels that cannot afford full-time employees, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Regulators Are Revamping Use Of Bank Service Company Act
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Though the Bank Service Company Act was written six decades ago, banks and service providers should be alert to the evolving ways financial regulators are using the law as a tool for scrutinizing bank-fintech partnerships and third-party service providers that could put consumers at risk, say James Bergin and Paul Lim at Arnold & Porter.
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Series
After Chevron: What To Expect In Consumer Protection At FTC
Although the Federal Trade Commission's bread-and-butter consumer protection law enforcement actions are unlikely to be affected, the Loper Bright decision may curb the FTC's bolder interpretations of the statutes it enforces, says Mary Engle at BBB National Programs.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.
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Whistleblowers Must Note 5 Key Differences Of DOJ Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently unveiled whistleblower awards program diverges in key ways from similar programs at other agencies, and individuals must weigh these differences and look first to programs with stronger, proven protections before blowing the whistle, say Stephen Kohn and Geoff Schweller at Kohn Kohn.