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Public Policy
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July 17, 2024
Judge Warns HHS It's Not In 'Reasonable Compliance'
The Department of Health and Human Services appears not to be in "reasonable compliance" of an injunction ordering it to develop an avenue for Medicare beneficiaries to appeal their hospitalization status, a Connecticut federal judge said in a Tuesday notice.
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July 17, 2024
Del. Gov. Signs Hotly Contested Corp. Law Amendments
Delaware Gov. John Carney signed into law on Wednesday state code amendments allowing corporations to cede some governance rights to stockholders, as well as some state corporate oversight to other jurisdictions.
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July 17, 2024
Pa. Justices OK Zoning Decision To Allow Suburban Hospital
A zoning officer for a Pittsburgh suburb was within state law to issue a "use permit" that would allow the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to build near a rival network's existing hospital, even if that permit punted on making sure the plan conformed with other zoning rules, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Nasdaq Seeks To Tighten Delisting Rules Governing SPACs
Nasdaq is proposing to strengthen its rules governing delistings and trading suspensions of special-purpose acquisition companies that fail to complete mergers within 36-month deadlines or that violate other listing standards.
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July 17, 2024
DOE Says Challenge Of $1.1B Diablo Canyon Award Must Fail
The U.S. Department of Energy is urging a California federal judge to throw out a suit challenging its award of $1.1 billion of credits to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. keep two generation units running for now at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
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July 17, 2024
Feds Uphold Tech Co.'s Fine For Auction Talks With AT&T
The Federal Communications Commission upheld its $100,000 fine against internet service provider AMG Technology Investment Group for discussing bidding strategy during an infrastructure funding auction with AT&T, saying it has no basis to reconsider the penalty Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
6th Circ. To Review 2 Standards In FirstEnergy's Cert. Fight
The Sixth Circuit indicated Wednesday that it would have to examine the applicability of two different class certification standards in a securities suit by FirstEnergy investors, as the company insisted there was no proof its statements influenced stock prices, and that purported omissions didn't factor into the mix.
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July 17, 2024
NC Must Use Smithfield Foods Funds For Schools, Judge Says
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein can no longer get his hands on $2 million a year from Smithfield Foods to give out environmental grants to private entities after a judge ruled the state constitution requires the money to be used in public schools.
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July 17, 2024
Chevron Repeal Doesn't Impact Benefits Rule Fight, DOL Says
The U.S. Supreme Court's rollback of Chevron deference doesn't boost the likelihood of success for a trade group's claims that a U.S. Department of Labor regulation unlawfully expanded the pool of retirement advisers with obligations under federal benefits law, the agency told a Texas federal judge Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Minn. Court Says VFW Property Subject To Lower Tax Rate
A group of properties used as a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Minnesota should be subject to a lower property tax classification because they weren't used for revenue-making purposes, the state's tax court ruled.
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July 17, 2024
FCC To Vote On New Emergency Code For Missing Persons
The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that it plans to vote Aug. 7 on new rules for radio and TV broadcasters to add a code for missing adults to the emergency alert system.
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July 17, 2024
Boston Man Can't Escape Chinese Spy Charge
A Boston federal judge said the government does not have to show that a man accused of spying for China specifically sought to avoid registering as a foreign agent to prove that he violated or conspired to violate a law requiring him to do so.
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July 17, 2024
Death Threats Not Enough For 2nd Circ. To OK Asylum
The Second Circuit on Wednesday rejected an asylum application from a Nepali man who claimed to be fleeing political persecution from Maoist partisans, unconvinced that the threats against his life were serious enough.
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July 17, 2024
'Curious' CFPB Agenda Item Sparks Buzz Over Contract Rules
A mystery item tucked into the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's latest regulatory agenda is fueling speculation among attorneys that the agency may soon try to clamp down on some terms and conditions included in lenders' contractual agreements with consumer borrowers.
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July 17, 2024
Former Las Vegas Rep Charged In Charity Fraud Scheme
A former Las Vegas city councilwoman and current justice of the peace for Nye County, Nevada, has been charged with defrauding donors through a fake charity she set up to honor police officers killed on duty.
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July 17, 2024
Ex-Fed. Judge Likely Conflicted In 23 Cases, Say Prosecutors
Disgraced District of Alaska Judge Joshua Kindred presided over at least 23 criminal cases in which attorneys appearing before him may have had inappropriate relationships with the judge, according to an email sent by federal prosecutors and obtained Wednesday by Law360.
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July 17, 2024
Families Push To Revive Suits Over Harvard Body Part Thefts
Plaintiffs in a dozen lawsuits seeking to hold Harvard University liable after a former medical school morgue manager was charged with stealing and selling body parts have told a Massachusetts Appeals Court that a lower court judge got it wrong when he found that the school has legal immunity.
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July 17, 2024
After #MeToo, Report Suggests Judiciary Workplace Reforms
A report released on Wednesday makes 34 suggested reforms for the federal judiciary to better protect its approximately 30,000 employees, including clerks, building off changes made following the #MeToo movement.
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July 17, 2024
New Mexico Adds Superfund Claims To PFAS Suit Against US
New Mexico is expanding its lawsuit against the federal government over costs related to cleaning up forever chemicals near military sites by utilizing a new rule listing the substances as hazardous under the Superfund law.
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July 17, 2024
ADA Can't Shield Worker From Failed Drug Test, Co. Says
A chemical transportation company urged a South Carolina federal court to toss a former lift operator's lawsuit alleging he was fired for taking legal CBD because of cysts on his brain and spinal cord, arguing disability law doesn't protect workers from positive drug tests for THC.
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July 17, 2024
Massachusetts Governor Taps 5 For Superior Court Vacancies
A federal prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer and a deputy chief in the Massachusetts attorney general's office are among five nominations to the state Superior Court announced Wednesday by Gov. Maura Healey.
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July 16, 2024
Smirnov Wants David Weiss DQ'd After Trump Docs Ruling
Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov said Monday that a Florida federal judge's order disqualifying the special prosecutor in the Donald Trump classified documents case means special counsel David Weiss should also be disqualified from Smirnov's case, according to a motion filed in California federal court.
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July 16, 2024
3 Reasons Why 2nd Menendez Bribery Case Was The Charm
Nearly seven years after the government's first bribery case against longtime U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez collapsed in a hung jury, prosecutors avenged that loss Tuesday by sealing a conviction on a new round of corruption charges.
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July 16, 2024
Gilead Asks Calif. Supreme Court To Ax 'Disastrous' Decision
Gilead Sciences on Monday urged the California Supreme Court to overturn an appellate panel's decision that the company can't ditch claims it held back a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on an older medication, saying that holding manufacturers liable for non-defective products would "yield disastrous policy consequences."
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July 16, 2024
Trump Special Prosecutor Ruling Could Find Favor On Appeal
When U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in Florida over what she said was an unconstitutional appointment of a special prosecutor, she staked out a position that few other jurists have taken, but that could find support among some appellate judges, experts said.
Expert Analysis
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Air Ambulance Ruling Severely Undermines No Surprises Act
A Texas federal court's recent decision in Guardian Flight v. Health Care Service — that the No Surprises Act lacks a judicial remedy when a health insurer refuses to pay the amount established through an independent review — likely throws a huge monkey wrench into the elaborate protections the NSA was enacted to provide, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Tracking Implementation Of IRA Programs As Election Nears
As the Biden administration races to cement key regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, a number of the law's programs and incentives are at risk of delay or repeal if Republicans retake control of Congress, the White House or both — so stakeholders should closely watch ongoing IRA implementation and guidance, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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Zoning Reform May Alleviate The Affordable Housing Crisis
As America's affordable housing issues continue to worsen, zoning reform efforts can help to provide more affordable homes and mitigate racial and economic segregation, though opposition from residents and in courts could present challenges, say Evan Pritchard and Madeline Williams at Cozen O'Connor.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Diaz v. U.S., holding that expert witnesses can testify broadly about the mental state of “most people” in a group, simply affirms the status quo for the majority of defendants, and is unlikely to change defense counsel’s strategy at trial, says Walter Gonçalves at the Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office.
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Ecuador Ruling Marks Significant Step For Arbitral Certainty
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador's recent holding that a foreign arbitral award did not require homologation before local enforcement is a positive step toward fostering greater certainty in international business dispute resolution in the region, say Luis Perez and Ildefonso Mas at Akerman.
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A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling
A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.
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Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance
With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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Fla. HOA Reforms Bring Major Wins For Homeowners
A recently signed law brings broad changes for homeowners associations in Florida, alleviating some pressure imposed by overly restrictive rules and potentially setting up litigation surrounding how HOAs enforce their governing documents, says Christopher Miller at Varnum.
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How Congress Is Tackling The US Healthcare Shortage
With healthcare shortages continuing across the U.S. despite industry efforts to improve patient access to care, increased Medicare support for graduate medical education could be a crucial component of the solution, say Sarah Crossan and Miranda Franco at Holland & Knight.
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How Justices' Chevron Ruling May Influence Wind Projects
Parties both for and against the development of East Coast offshore wind development are watching the U.S. Supreme Court closely for its anticipated ruling challenging long-standing principles of agency deference that may subject decision making based on that precedent to upheaval, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.
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Gov't Contractors Shouldn't Skip Steps In Rush To Adopt AI
Government contractors that may be tempted to deploy artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations like billing and data protection should first take time to consider and address the specific risks that come with using AI tools, say attorneys at Wiley.
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6 Tips For Maximizing After-Tax Returns In Private M&A Deals
With potential tax legislation likely to spur a surge in private business sales, sellers can make the most of after-tax proceeds with strategies that include price allocation and qualified investment options, say Isaac Grossman and Daniel Studin at Morrison Cohen.
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Opinion
Why The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act Can Spur Progress
Patent practitioners have long wrestled with the effects of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have muddied the waters of what can be patented, but the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act can change that, and those not involved with patents on a day-to-day basis can help get this act passed, says John White at Harness IP.