Public Policy

  • December 20, 2024

    HUD Awards $225 Million To Boost Manufactured Housing

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it has awarded $225 million under a grant program for manufactured housing communities, prioritizing tribal applicants and resident-managed communities.

  • December 20, 2024

    Year In Review: The Biggest Trade Policy Moves Of 2024

    The final year of the Biden administration saw trade policy kept on the back burner, particularly as campaign season ramped up, but nevertheless 2024 yielded a number of White House moves on tariffs, enforcement and negotiations that kept attorneys at attention. Here, Law360 walks you through the most noteworthy trade policy developments of the past 12 months.

  • December 20, 2024

    CFPB Sues BofA, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Over Zelle Fraud

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo on Friday, alleging their customers have lost more than $870 million through a "massive scale" of fraud on the payment network Zelle while the banks turned a blind eye.

  • December 19, 2024

    Monsanto PCB Trial Groups Can Grow, Wash. Judge Says

    A Washington state judge laid out a plan on Wednesday to consolidate a series of alleged chemical poisoning cases pending against Monsanto in connection to an Evergreen State school, largely rejecting the company's arguments that it would be prejudiced if plaintiffs merged into larger trial groups.

  • December 19, 2024

    Uber Sues Seattle Over Courier Account Deactivation Law

    A Seattle ordinance aimed at preventing app-based workers from being unfairly deactivated from apps they use poses "grave constitutional problems," Uber alleged in a suit filed Wednesday in Washington federal court, saying the local law forces the transportation company to express views inconsistent with how it approaches privacy and safety.

  • December 19, 2024

    DOJ Targets Groups' Standing In Asylum Limits Fight

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a federal judge immigrant rights groups don't have standing to challenge asylum restrictions enacted for the southern border based on claims that they prevent the groups from serving asylum seekers.

  • December 19, 2024

    Atkins-Tied Crypto Group Lays Out Its Priorities For New SEC

    Crypto industry group The Digital Chamber, which counts U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair nominee Paul Atkins as an advisory board member, has urged the Wall Street regulator to "reset its historically troubled relationship" with the crypto industry by rolling back certain rule proposals and resolving non-fraud suits against crypto firms soon after President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year.

  • December 19, 2024

    Feds Fight Calif. Tribe's Bid To Block Casino Trust Order

    The federal government is fighting a bid by a California tribe to block the U.S. Department of the Interior from approving a casino project on its historic homelands, arguing that it has not yet identified any irreparable harm that would justify a temporary restraining order.

  • December 19, 2024

    PhRMA Wins Bid To Halt W.Va. Drug Discount Expansion Law

    The country's biggest pharmaceutical lobbying group has won preliminary injunctions against a West Virginia law that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America claims unconstitutionally expands a federal drug discount program, with a federal judge finding that the law threatens to create a situation where "the fox guards the henhouse."

  • December 19, 2024

    FTC Says PBMs Can't Get Preliminary Block In Insulin Case

    The Federal Trade Commission urged a Missouri federal judge Thursday not to temporarily block its in-house case accusing pharmacy benefits managers of artificially inflating insulin prices through unfair rebate schemes, arguing Congress clearly empowered such in-house adjudications and the officials who handle them.

  • December 19, 2024

    Groups Say CARB Fuel Program Will Spur Environmental Harms

    Environmental groups sued the California Air Resources Board in California state court on Wednesday, saying amendments to the state's low carbon fuel standard program will only further spur the expansion of factory farms, increasing environmental degradation in the San Joaquin Valley.

  • December 19, 2024

    Bank Groups Seek Halt Of CFPB's $5 Overdraft Fee Rule

    Bank groups have asked a Mississippi federal judge to put an interim hold on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rule establishing a $5 overdraft fee cap at larger banks and credit unions, arguing that the agency is trying to unwind more than a half-century of regulatory interpretation at a great potential cost to the industry.

  • December 19, 2024

    New Jersey AG Can Run Paterson Police Dept. During Appeal

    The day after a New Jersey appellate panel ruled that state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin's takeover of a Garden State police department was unlawful, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart J. Rabner granted the prosecutor's bid to stay the decision temporarily and directed the parties to file briefs.

  • December 19, 2024

    Vape Cos. Challenge Iowa Law Banning Many E-Cigarettes

    Iowan vape interests are looking to stop state officials from enforcing a new law prohibiting the sale of many e-cigarettes, claiming in a federal lawsuit that the statute was pushed by "Big Tobacco" company Reynolds American Inc. and targets products that help people quit smoking.

  • December 19, 2024

    4th Circ. Says Temporary BIA Judges Can Be Reappointed

    Judges can be temporarily appointed to the Board of Immigration Appeals for a term "not to exceed six months," but they can also be reappointed as many times as the attorney general sees fit, the Fourth Circuit has ruled in a case that challenges the seating of such a judge.

  • December 19, 2024

    FERC Chair Plays Coy On Impact Of LNG Export Study

    Willie Phillips, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, wouldn't say on Thursday how the agency would incorporate a recently released federal study on the economic and environmental effects of liquefied natural gas exports into its reviews of proposed export terminals, and cited limits on FERC's authority.

  • December 19, 2024

    Visa Sponsorship Form Needs Clarity, Ombudsman Says

    A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services watchdog is urging the agency to revise a form used to sponsor noncitizen relatives, saying it has caused confusion and imposed extra costs and delays on people trying to reunite with family members.

  • December 19, 2024

    House Rejects 3-Month Funding Bill Despite Trump Support

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a three-month temporary funding deal that would have staved off a government shutdown and had been hastily introduced after President-elect Donald Trump criticized an earlier proposed continuing resolution.

  • December 19, 2024

    Bill Aimed At IHS Recruitment, Retention Heads To House

    A bill designed to make it easier for the Indian Health Service to recruit and retain medical workers is headed for the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration after easily passing the U.S. Senate this week.

  • December 19, 2024

    FCC Told No Way To Network-Level Scan Of Calls For AI

    Consumer advocacy groups have come together to tell the Federal Communications Commission that they hate spam calls as much as anyone else, but they can't support a plan that would allow calls to be scanned for artificial intelligence at the network level.

  • December 19, 2024

    $1.1B Diablo Canyon Award Challenge Meets Skeptical Judge

    A California federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that an environmental group has standing to challenge the U.S. Department of Energy's award of $1.1 billion to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. continue operating the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

  • December 19, 2024

    McKesson Urges Justices To Keep Hobbs Act's 'Exclusivity'

    McKesson Corp. is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve circuit courts' "exclusive" jurisdiction for Federal Communications Commission orders, warning that regulatory consistency nationwide could be undermined if lower courts are allowed to step in.

  • December 19, 2024

    2nd Circ. Mulls Dormant Commerce Applicability To Marijuana

    A Second Circuit panel appeared conflicted Thursday on whether the dormant commerce clause applies to federally illegal marijuana and, if so, whether New York cannabis regulators still had an interest in ensuring that some cannabis licenses went to locals.

  • December 19, 2024

    Fed, OCC 'Asleep At Wheel' On Merger Policy, Warren Says

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday accused top federal bank regulators of blowing off calls for tougher merger scrutiny and leaving the financial system exposed to dangerous megadeals, blasting them as "asleep at the wheel" as the Capital One-Discover merger inched closer to approval.

  • December 19, 2024

    Feds Could Pay $1.1M To Settle WWII Refinery Waste Fight

    A Valero Energy Corp. unit is asking a Michigan federal judge to sign off on a deal that would have the U.S. government pay it $1.1 million for cleanup costs allegedly stemming from the government's wartime operations at a refinery in Houston.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Expand Investment Options For 403(b)s

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    Lawmakers should pass pending legislation to give 403(b) plan participants access to collective investment trusts, leveling the playing field for public sector retirement investors by giving them an investment option their private sector counterparts have had for decades, says Jason Levy at Great Gray Trust Company.

  • What 2024 Election Means For Drugs, Medicare And Medicaid

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    With Republicans running the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, the incoming administration is likely to provide pathways — through new initiatives and others returning from Trump's previous presidency — for a range of potential changes to drug pricing, Medicare and Medicaid, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AV Compliance Is Still A State-By-State Slog — For Now

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    While the incoming Trump administration has hinted at new federal regulations governing autonomous vehicles, for now, AV manufacturers must take a state-by-state approach to compliance with safety requirements — paying particular attention to states that require express authorization for AV operation, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Opinion

    Antitrust Posturing Against Algorithmic AI Should End

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    President-elect Donald Trump needs to rein in the federal government's antitrust crusade against algorithmic AI, sending the message that antitrust enforcement must be grounded in evidence and real harm, says attorney David Balto, a former Federal Trade Commission assistant director of policy and evaluation.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Immigration Atty Tips For Avoiding Prosecution Under Trump

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    Under the incoming Trump administration, immigration attorneys may need to protect themselves from prosecution when advising clients who may not qualify for relief sought by choosing their words carefully and keeping other key factors in mind, says Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi.

  • Back To The Future? Antitrust Enforcement Under Trump 2.0

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    While the transition to the second Trump administration's antitrust policy should be accompanied by less uncertainty, we're unlikely to get a full sense of the true focus and tenor of competition enforcement under Trump 2.0 before late next year, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • A Closer Look At SDNY Bankruptcy Rule Amendments

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    The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York’s recent amendments to its local rules aim to streamline key Chapter 11 processes, resolve misunderstandings about previous iterations of the rules and urge caution about the use of artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • How Litigation, Supply Chains Buffeted Offshore Wind In 2024

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    U.S. offshore wind developers continue to face a range of challenges — including litigation brought by local communities and interest groups, ongoing supply chain issues, and a lack of interconnection and transmission infrastructure — in addition to uncertainty surrounding federal energy policy under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • FTX Exec's Sentencing Shows Pros And Cons Of Cooperation

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    The sentencing of former FTX tech deputy Gary Wang, whose cooperation netted him a rare outcome of no prison time, offers critical takeaways for attorneys and clients navigating the burgeoning world of crypto-related prosecutions, says Andrew Meck at Whiteford.

  • What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry

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    The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024

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    Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

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