Public Policy

  • August 19, 2024

    Philly To Pay $25M For Breaking Prison Conditions Settlement

    A federal judge has ordered Philadelphia to set aside $25 million to ramp up recruitment and retention efforts for the city's Department of Prisons, just over a month after the court found the city in contempt of a settlement in a lawsuit over prison conditions.

  • August 19, 2024

    CFTC's Pham Wants More Credit For Firms In Wash Trade Deal

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday ordered two Raizen units to pay $750,000 to settle charges they carried out illegal wash sales on sugar contracts worth more than $1 billion, but Commissioner Caroline Pham said the companies should have gotten more credit for self-reporting and remediating.

  • August 19, 2024

    DOJ Waited Too Long On Chats Deletions, Google Says

    Google urged a Virginia federal judge Friday to reject the Justice Department's request to sanction the search giant over a policy of deleting internal chats, arguing that the request came too late and that the government isn't missing any evidence for its advertising technology monopolization suit.

  • August 19, 2024

    Fair Use Dooms Santos Suit Over Jimmy Kimmel's Prank Videos

    A New York federal judge said Monday that the fair use exception to copyright law is fatal to former U.S. Rep. George Santos' suit against ABC and Jimmy Kimmel over video clips that the late-night TV show host tricked the ex-congressman into making.

  • August 19, 2024

    NIH Program To Use Tribal Research To Combat Opioid Crisis

    The National Institutes of Health is investing $268 million over the next seven years in a program that will employ Indigenous research methods to help combat opioid use and the overdose crisis plaguing Indian Country with an additional focus on pain management and mental health and wellness.

  • August 19, 2024

    Spouse Asks Tax Court To Reconsider Relief Request

    A woman barred from innocent spouse relief on grounds that tax debt related to an erroneously issued refund doesn't qualify asked the U.S. Tax Court to reconsider, saying she's entitled to the break for any unpaid tax liability.

  • August 19, 2024

    DHS Unveils Green Card Rule For Mixed-Status Families

    The Biden administration on Monday officially rolled out the "keeping families together" program, which will ease bureaucratic obstacles for noncitizens and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for green cards and work permits from within the country.

  • August 19, 2024

    Judge Urges Throwing Out DOJ's 'Simple' Race Bias Suit

    A federal judge recommended dismissing a U.S. Department of Justice suit accusing a Georgia county of firing two Black workers who complained about a slur from a white colleague, faulting the DOJ for trying to "overcomplicate" the case.

  • August 19, 2024

    DC Council Member Charged With Bribery

    Federal prosecutors are accusing a Washington, D.C., councilmember of accepting more than $150,000 in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for pressuring government employees to extend city contracts, according to a complaint unsealed Monday in D.C. federal court.

  • August 19, 2024

    Calif. Lawmakers Decline To Advance Hemp THC Law

    A California bill that would have imposed new THC limits on hemp consumables is unlikely to become law this year, after lawmakers declined to move it out of committee.

  • August 19, 2024

    DQ'd Judge Should Have Kept Quiet, Tax Challengers Say

    A Michigan federal judge who disqualified himself from homeowners' challenge to a $217 million dam repair tax assessment put his "thumb on the scale of justice" by improperly commenting on legal questions as he bowed out, according to homeowners seeking to have the comments rescinded.

  • August 19, 2024

    Ex-NJ County Exec Loses Bid To DQ Firm In Retaliation Suit

    A former Cumberland County, New Jersey, health official claiming his firing was political retaliation cannot disqualify the county's counsel in his lawsuit, Testa Heck Testa & White PA, over interactions he had with two firm attorneys around the time of his firing, a state court judge ruled Friday.

  • August 19, 2024

    Crypto Co. Consensys Says Texas Is Right For SEC Fight

    Crypto software firm Consensys Software Inc. told a Texas federal judge that it beat the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to court when it filed a suit seeking a judgment that its MetaMask software does not offend securities laws, and the regulator cannot now "change the playing field" to New York with its later enforcement suit.

  • August 19, 2024

    Santos Admits Fraud: 'Betrayed The Trust Of My Constituents'

    Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pled guilty in New York federal court Monday to juicing his election fundraising reports with fake donations to qualify for Republican Party support, charges that carry a minimum of two years in prison.

  • August 19, 2024

    Hogan Boosts DC Energy, IP Teams With A&O Shearman Atty

    Hogan Lovells has hired a new global regulatory and intellectual property practice partner, who is joining the firm in Washington, D.C., after a little more than two and half years with Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, Hogan Lovells announced Monday.

  • August 19, 2024

    Voters Fight DeSantis Bid To Toss Prosecutor Suspension Suit

    Florida voters and a partisan advocacy group have pushed back against Gov. Ron DeSantis' argument that voters have no right to see an elected official serve an entire term in a suit over the suspension of Florida prosecutor Monique Worrell, saying it doesn't matter when interference in an election occurs because the effect on the voters is the same.

  • August 19, 2024

    GOP Rep. Fostered Homophobic Workplace, Ex-Staffer Says

    A former congressional staffer slapped a Republican lawmaker from Texas with a federal lawsuit claiming he was bullied, denied training opportunities and ultimately forced to quit because he is gay.

  • August 19, 2024

    H&R Block's Case On In-House Judges' Role Is Paused

    A Missouri federal judge who refused to halt Federal Trade Commission proceedings accusing H&R Block of deceptive advertising agreed to pause, while the company appeals her refusal, a district court case in which the company has argued that administrative judges should be booted from the proceedings.

  • August 19, 2024

    FTC Says Albertsons Execs Deleted Texts About Merger

    The Federal Trade Commission accused executives from Albertsons of deleting text messages about the supermarket chain's planned megamerger with Kroger, saying the messages likely contained valuable internal views about the effects of the $25 billion deal.

  • August 19, 2024

    Trump's Immunity Appeal May Delay Sentencing, DA Says

    Prosecutors will not oppose Donald Trump's request to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case, currently set for next month, while he seeks to dismiss his conviction in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling, agreeing that an immediate appeal may upend the proceedings anyway.

  • August 19, 2024

    Groups Lack Standing To Challenge Asylum Rule, Texas Says

    The state of Texas asked a D.C. federal judge to grant it and the federal government victory in a suit brought by two immigrants' rights organizations challenging a rule from President Joe Biden's administration limiting asylum in the U.S.

  • August 19, 2024

    HUD Joins 6-Year Strategy To Beat Extreme Heat

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said it's partnering with two dozen federal agencies for an initiative focused on implementing solutions for extreme heat dangers in communities.

  • August 19, 2024

    Israel Boycott Question Withdrawn From Pittsburgh Ballots

    A proposed ballot question that would have required the City of Pittsburgh to stop doing business with or granting tax credits to entities associated with Israel during its war in Gaza will be withdrawn for lack of enough valid signatures, the parties agreed Monday — leaving unanswered whether such measures are preempted by state law.

  • August 17, 2024

    George Santos To Plead Guilty Before Campaign Fraud Trial

    Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has agreed to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges just weeks before his scheduled campaign finance fraud trial in New York federal court, Law360 learned Saturday.

  • August 16, 2024

    Justices Reject Biden Bid To Reinstate Gender Identity Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused for now to lift lower court orders blocking the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing its new interpretation of Title IX intended to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination based on gender identity, handing a win to several Republican-led state challengers.

Expert Analysis

  • Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings

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    U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

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    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • FDA's Multifaceted Role On Display In MDMA Therapy Scrutiny

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    Ongoing deliberations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder serves as a window into the intricate balance of scientific innovation and patient safety oversight, and offers crucial insights into regulatory nuances, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Kevin Lanzo at Pharmaka Clinical Consulting.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Preparing For Increased Scrutiny Of Tech Supply Chains

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent action prohibiting sales of a Russia-based technology company's products in the U.S. is the first determination under the information technology supply chain rule, and signals plans to increase enforcement of protections that target companies in designated foreign adversary jurisdictions, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Chevron's End Puts Target On CFPB's Aggressive BNPL Rule

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    A recent interpretative rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, subjecting buy-now, pay-later loans to the same regulations as credit cards, is unlikely to survive post-Chevron challenges of the rule's partisan and shaky logic, say Scott Pearson and Bryan Schneider at Manatt.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU

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    Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • Analyzing FDA Draft Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's draft guidance on clinical trial diversity action plans, there are several important considerations for sponsors and clinical researchers to keep in mind to prevent delay in a drug or device application, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • What's New In The AI Healthcare Regulatory Space

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    Attorneys at Hogan Lovells review the current legal and regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence applications in healthcare, touching on policies around safety, transparency, nondiscrimination and reimbursement, and what to expect in the future.

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