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Public Policy
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August 26, 2024
Former Google Execs Fight Ad Tech Trial Subpoenas
Former Google vice presidents and other company managers have filed a series of motions asking a Virginia federal judge to block U.S. Department of Justice subpoenas trying to force their testimony at next month's advertising technology monopolization trial, arguing their live participation is unneeded and improperly demanded.
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August 26, 2024
DC Circ. Tosses FERC's San Francisco Power Order
The D.C. Circuit vacated a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. argued expanded the utility's obligation to carry San Francisco-generated power to the city's retail customers, finding that the agency wrongly grandfathered classes of consumers into the wheeling arrangements.
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August 26, 2024
Fla. Calls DOL Threat Over Transit Funding Unconstitutional
Florida asked a federal judge Monday for a win in its suit against the U.S. Department of Labor, arguing that the department's threat to withhold more than $800 million in funds for transportation infrastructure because of a new law cracking down on public-sector labor power is unconstitutional.
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August 26, 2024
CFPB Defeats Challenge To Small-Biz Lending Rules
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau landed an early win Monday in an industry-backed challenge to its reporting requirements for small business lenders, with a Texas federal judge finding the rule "is much more modest than plaintiffs would lead the court to believe."
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August 26, 2024
Suit Over Ga. Prosecutor Oversight Advances
A Georgia state judge cleared a legal challenge to the state's new prosecutor disciplinary panel to go forward on Friday, finding there was enough merit in the case brought by a trio of district attorneys to allow it to continue.
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August 26, 2024
Tribal And Salmon Groups To Intervene In Alaska Mining Suit
An Alaska federal court judge will let 23 tribal groups and wilderness organizations intervene in a lawsuit over a mining proposal for a stretch of pristine salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay area, but has laid out conditions to keep the case quickly moving forward.
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August 26, 2024
Colo. Man Charged With Threatening To Shoot State Judge
A man who said he moved a majority of Colorado justices to the front of his "list" after they barred former president Donald Trump from the ballot is being charged with threatening on social media to shoot a state judge.
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August 26, 2024
DEA Sets Dec. 2 Hearing On Cannabis Rescheduling Proposal
The Drug Enforcement Administration will hold a hearing on the attorney general's proposal to loosen restrictions on marijuana, the agency announced in a notice made public Monday.
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August 26, 2024
Gov't Looks To Limit Arguments In Rail Merger Appeal
The federal government urged the D.C. Circuit not to let a coalition of Illinois towns challenging the approval of Canadian Pacific's $31 billion merger with Kansas City Southern incorporate arguments made by Chicago's commuter rail system before the system dropped out of the case.
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August 26, 2024
Cruz Accuses FCC Subsidies Of 'Burning Through Cash'
Sen. Ted Cruz is pointing toward a new U.S. Government Accountability Office report that he says backs up his contention that the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service Fund is "burning through cash with only minimal government oversight of its budget."
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August 26, 2024
Ex-Ingersoll Rand Exec Could Be Stuck With Noncompete
A Colorado state court judge expressed her doubts Monday that the former chief executive of a company acquired by industrial products giant Ingersoll Rand could avoid repercussions for joining the only firm named in a noncompete agreement he signed, saying the executive hadn't done nearly enough to show the contract was unenforceable.
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August 26, 2024
Ex-FCC Republican Urges 6th Circ. To Tank Net Neutrality
A former Republican on the Federal Communications Commission who helped overturn net neutrality rules when the agency leadership was in GOP hands has pressed the Sixth Circuit to snuff out the Democratic FCC's effort to revive the policy.
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August 26, 2024
Kyocera's Gross-Up Doesn't Grant $143M Tax Break, US Says
Electronics maker Kyocera cannot be allowed to take a $143 million tax deduction for distributions received under a 2017 tax law based on a separate statute's gross-up for paid foreign tax credits, the government told a South Carolina federal court.
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August 26, 2024
Federal Lawmakers Demand USDA Fix Tribal Food Backlog
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is demanding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture take immediate action to restore food deliveries to tribal communities impacted by an unfolding crisis that they say has left some with expired or no food at all for months.
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August 26, 2024
NTIA To Work Closely With Private Sector On Spectrum
The U.S. Department of Commerce's spectrum management branch has announced plans to meet with private sector interests every two months to develop national policies on use of the airwaves.
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August 26, 2024
Connecticut And NY AGs Reach Terms For Hospital Merger
Two major hospital systems in New York and Connecticut have reached an agreement with their states' attorneys general to resolve an antitrust investigation spurred by the planned merger of Northwell Health and Nuvance Health, bringing the deal first announced in February closer to fruition.
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August 26, 2024
Mich. Supreme Court Race Takes Shape With GOP Picks
Michigan Republicans nominated a circuit court judge and a state legislator for two seats on the state Supreme Court Saturday, after a lawyer facing criminal charges of tampering with voting machines withdrew from one of the races.
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August 26, 2024
GOP Sens. Applaud Removal Of Undersea Cable Hurdles
Two Republican senators are celebrating the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's decision to press pause on requiring special permits for undersea cables to run through marine sanctuaries as a "major victory" after railing against red tape earlier this year.
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August 26, 2024
DC Judge Says Missouri AG Can't Investigate Media Matters
A D.C. federal judge has again blocked a Republican attorney general from demanding a slew of records from liberal media watchdog Media Matters, this time halting a probe from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
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August 26, 2024
Racial Gaps In Mich. Judicial Discipline Process, Audit Finds
Black judges in Michigan are more likely to be subject to a full misconduct investigation and receive "significantly" more grievances than their white counterparts, according to a preliminary audit from the National Center for State Courts.
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August 26, 2024
5th Circ. Holds Off On Gulf Fishery Council Rule Challenge
The Fifth Circuit on Friday ordered a Mississippi federal judge to decide key issues that went unaddressed in his ruling upholding a fishing limit in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that new case law must be applied before it handles the appeal.
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August 26, 2024
Wild Ga. Horses Need Aid During Suit's Limbo, Advocates Say
As a Georgia federal judge considers whether to scuttle a lawsuit alleging that a herd of feral horses on one of the state's coastal islands has been neglected and mistreated by federal authorities, the equine plaintiffs have asked the court to order the government to furnish them with emergency stores of food and drinking water.
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August 26, 2024
Feds Want Prison For Ex-Atlanta CFO Who Stole City Funds
The former chief financial officer for the city of Atlanta who admitted to stealing city money and obstructing an IRS audit should spend at least about three years in prison, federal prosecutors argued ahead of his sentencing, saying he has been uncooperative since pleading guilty.
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August 26, 2024
FTC Mulls Proposal To Alter Puerto Rican Pharmacy Deal
The Federal Trade Commission is considering a plan to allow Puerto Rico's largest independent pharmacy cooperative to resume collective negotiations with payors, reexamining a 2012 settlement agreement that the cooperative says is now unnecessary because of changes in the commonwealth's law and pharmacy market.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024
Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Time To Reimagine The Novation Process For Gov't Contracts
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which recently extended a long-standing request for public comments on its novation procedures, should heed commenters' suggestions by implementing specific changes in its documentation requirements, thereby creating a more streamlined and practical novation process, say attorneys at Covington.
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Unpacking The Latest FTC Guidance On Multilevel Marketing
Branko Jovanovic and Monica Zhong at Edgeworth Economics discuss the Federal Trade Commission's recent advice for multilevel marketers on how MLMs should approach their income and earnings reports, including participants costs, typical proceeds and distributor gains.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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The OIG Report: DOJ's Own Whistleblower Program Has Holes
A recent Office of the Inspector General memo found that the U.S. Department of Justice’s whistleblower program failed to protect federal employees whose security clearances were allegedly suspended in retaliation — a serious cause for concern that could have a potential chilling effect on would-be whistleblowers, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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Series
After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull
Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.
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New State Carbon Capture Laws: Key Points For Developers
Multiple states have introduced or expanded legal frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration this year, and while there are some common themes, many of these state laws include unique approaches and requirements — which developers and investors should be aware of when considering potential projects and investment risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Opinion
Chevron Reversal May Protect IP Rights Under Bayh-Dole
The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference may block the Biden administration's nearly finalized guidance reinterpreting the Bayh-Dole Act, protecting intellectual property rights and preventing harm to innovation and economic activity, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore & Shohl.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles
California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.
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How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers
Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.
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A Primer On EU's Updated Human Substance Regulations
The European Union's updated standards regarding quality and safety of substances of human origin meant for human application carry significant implications for companies that work with cells and tissues, and U.S. companies active in the EU market should pay particular attention to the import and export rules, say Geneviève Michaux and Georgios Symeonidis at King & Spalding.