Public Policy

  • July 10, 2024

    Southern Ute Say Colo. Can't Regulate Tribe's Online Games

    The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is suing Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in federal court for allegedly violating a state-tribal gaming pact by overstepping his right to regulate online gambling, arguing that the tribe's Division of Gaming is the Sky Ute Casino Resort's regulator.

  • July 10, 2024

    African Student Visa Denials Need Investigating, Experts Say

    New data from the U.S. Department of State backs up what immigration attorneys have long suspected for years: African students are denied visas at higher rates than students from other regions, showing a need for greater scrutiny of the student visa process.

  • July 10, 2024

    House GOP Demands Info On BEAD 'Rate Regulation'

    Congressional Republicans called on a top U.S. Department of Commerce official to release all communications with state agencies in charge of distributing federal broadband grants to see if the agencies were pressured into regulating rates.

  • July 10, 2024

    'Wrong In Every Way': 11th Circ. Judges Rip VRA Ruling

    A trio of Eleventh Circuit judges castigated their colleagues Wednesday for refusing to revisit a decision upholding an allegedly discriminatory Georgia electoral system, charging that their "novel, dramatic, and wrong" conclusions have made Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act "a dead letter" within the circuit.

  • July 10, 2024

    Atty Says Alaska Judge Reprimand Bolsters 4th Circ. Bias Suit

    A former public defender awaiting a bench ruling on her sexual harassment claims against the federal judiciary said Wednesday that the judge deciding her case should note a recent ruling reprimanding an Alaska federal judge for his "sexualized relationship" with a clerk in which the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council determined that intent was irrelevant.

  • July 10, 2024

    Utah Goes 'Too Far' In Seeking Order Clarity, Tribe Says

    A Native American tribe asked a federal district judge Tuesday to deny a bid by Utah to clarify a June order that dismissed the tribe's racial-bidding scheme claims against several state officials, arguing that the state is using the request as a vehicle to ax all remaining allegations in the tribe's suit.

  • July 10, 2024

    3rd Circ. Questions Authority Of Fish Management Councils

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday grappled with whether the "Fishery Management Councils" that set plans and limits for ocean fisheries are merely advisers to the commerce secretary or if they're empowered enough for their members to be subject to Senate confirmation, with one judge suggesting that the panels are essentially "toothless."

  • July 10, 2024

    Mont. High Court Weighs Youths' Right To Sue In Climate Case

    The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with whether to revive state law provisions that bar the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in permitting decisions that were struck down by a lower court judge, querying both sides whether the youth plaintiffs had standing to sue.

  • July 10, 2024

    Iowa Blasts Beverage Makers' Challenge To New Hemp Law

    The state of Iowa is defending a new law placing restrictions on products with hemp-derived THC, saying the beverage makers who have challenged it in federal court will not prevail on their new claim that the law is unconstitutionally vague.

  • July 10, 2024

    NJ Panel Says Tax Amendment Challenge Had No Real Claim

    A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday tossed a challenge to an amendment blocking certain appeals from being litigated in the state's tax court, reasoning that parties can still fight tax matters in trial court.

  • July 10, 2024

    Wyoming Officials Urge Court Not To Block New Hemp Law

    Wyoming state officials have urged a federal judge not to block enforcement of a new law targeting hemp-derived intoxicating products, saying the law is not preempted by federal policy and that the state has an interest in cracking down on such wares.

  • July 10, 2024

    Texas Court Severs Constable Workers From OT Collective

    A Texas federal court granted Harris County Sheriff's Department deputies' request to cut several employees from the constable's office from their proposed collective action accusing the department of shorting them on overtime pay, and rejected the county's argument that the case should largely be thrown out.

  • July 10, 2024

    Key Menendez Witness Faces Scrutiny As Closings Drag On

    Closing arguments in U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's bribery trial are set to go into a fourth calendar day after jurors watched multiple sets of defense counsel Wednesday tear apart the testimony of a key cooperating witness.

  • July 10, 2024

    Behnam Tells Senate CFTC Is Ready To Be Retail Crypto Cop

    U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Rostin Behnam sought to assure lawmakers that his agency is ready to protect retail investors if it is given oversight of digital asset markets during a Wednesday Senate hearing setting the stage for a coming legislative proposal on the future of cryptocurrency regulation.

  • July 10, 2024

    Rural Broadband Org. Calls For Speedier Permitting Process

    A rural broadband advocacy group is urging Congress to pass two companion bills that would enable the use of online portals to expedite the permitting process to build high-speed networks on federal lands.

  • July 10, 2024

    Mich. County Fights To Keep $217M Edenville Dam Repair Tax

    Homeowners attacking a localized tax to fund the reconstruction of four dams have already had a chance to contest the assessment and shouldn't get a second one, a Michigan county told a federal judge Tuesday.

  • July 10, 2024

    Pa. Judge Skeptical Of Pausing FTC's Noncompete Ban

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday seemed hesitant to grant a tree services company's request to halt the Federal Trade Commission's recent ban on noncompete agreements, as attorneys for the company struggled to point to concrete harms it would suffer if the ban were to take effect as scheduled.

  • July 10, 2024

    Former Conn. Top Public Defender Claims Bias Led To Ouster

    The former chief public defender in Connecticut has filed a second action challenging her June 4 ouster for misconduct, lodging an administrative appeal in state court that claims racial bias.

  • July 10, 2024

    House Panel Votes To Nix Biden's Retirement Advice Rule

    A Republican-controlled panel of U.S. House lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday to block recently finalized regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor that expand the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, after a brief debate on retirement policy that clearly split along party lines.

  • July 10, 2024

    Senate OKs Two DC Judge Noms As 8 Seats Remain Unfilled

    The U.S. Senate confirmed two nominees to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Wednesday, as lawmakers try to pick up the pace in filling the local court's persistent vacancies.

  • July 10, 2024

    Mass. Justices Say Intent Not Factor In Boston Appeal Bonds

    Boston's zoning law does not require that courts make a finding of bad faith before ordering a challenger to post a bond, Massachusetts' highest court concluded on Wednesday in a case involving the appeal of the issuance of a cannabis dispensary permit.

  • July 10, 2024

    Calif. Pick Defends Articles On Biological Sex, Judge Diversity

    A state judge nominated to serve on the U.S. Northern District of California bench fended off questions from Republicans about articles she wrote in recent years regarding biological sex and diversity in the judiciary.

  • July 10, 2024

    Ex-Ill. Senator Gets 3½ Years For Misusing Campaign Funds

    Former Illinois state Sen. William "Sam" McCann has been sentenced to 42 months in prison following his post-trial admission to spending campaign funds on personal items such as trucks and recreational vehicles.

  • July 10, 2024

    DC Circ. Won't Block EPA Methane Rule

    The D.C. Circuit rejected states and industry groups' efforts to block the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing expanded methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.

  • July 10, 2024

    Indiana AG Looks To End City Law Limiting ICE Cooperation

    The Indiana attorney general sued the city of East Chicago in a state court, looking to force the municipality to drop a policy that restricts local officials' and businesses' ability to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    DOJ Messaging App Warnings Undermine Trust In Counsel

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    The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's increasingly ominous warnings to defense and in-house counsel about the consequences of not preserving ephemeral messaging and messages sent using collaboration tools could erode confidence and cooperation, says Mark Rosman at Proskauer.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • A Changing Regulatory Landscape For Weight Loss Drugs

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    As drugs originally approved to treat diabetes become increasingly popular for weight loss purposes, federal and state regulators and payors are increasing their focus on how these drugs are prescribed, and industry participants should pay close attention to rapidly evolving compliance requirements, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Compliance Considerations For New Data Protection Law

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    Sam Castic at Hintze Law discusses how to determine if your organization is covered by the newly enacted Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, the scope of the law's restrictions, and how to go about compliance as its June 23 effective date approaches.

  • Proposed Semiconductor Buy Ban May Rattle Supply Chains

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    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council's recent proposed rulemaking clarifies plans to ban government purchases of semiconductors from certain Chinese companies, creating uncertainty around how contractors will be able to adjust supply chains that are already burdened and contracted to capacity, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • CFPB Poised To Up The Ante After Supreme Court Victory

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court emphatically ruled last week that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure did not violate the Constitution, the agency boasted that it was "here to stay," signaling that it is moving full steam ahead with its regulatory, enforcement and supervisory agenda, says Jim Sandy at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Opinion

    NEPA Final Rule Unlikely To Speed Clean Energy Projects

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    A recent final rule from the White House Council on Environmental Quality purports to streamline federal environmental reviews to accelerate the construction of renewable energy infrastructure — but it also expands consideration of climate change and environmental justice, creating vast new opportunities for litigation and delay, says Thomas Prevas at Saul Ewing.

  • Diving Deep Into Sweeping NY Financing Bill — And Its Pitfalls

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    A New York bill seeking to impose state usury limits onto a broader variety of financing arrangements and apply lender licensing requirements to more diverse entities would present near-insurmountable compliance challenges for lenders and retailers, say Kate Fisher and Tom Quinn at Hudson Cook.

  • Opinion

    USPTO's Proposed Disclaimer Rule Would Harm Inventors

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recently proposed rule on terminal disclaimers will make the patent system less available to inventors and will unfairly favor defendants in litigation, say Stephen Schreiner at Carmichael IP and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • What The FTC Report On AG Collabs Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April report on working with state attorneys general shows collaboration can increase efficiency and consistency in how statutes are interpreted and enforced, which can minimize the likelihood of requests for inconsistent injunctive relief that can create operational problems for businesses, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • New Crypto Reporting Will Require Rigorous Recordkeeping

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    The release of a form for reporting digital asset transactions is a pivotal moment in the Internal Revenue Service's efforts to track cryptocurrency activities that increases oversight by requiring brokers to report investor sales and exchanges, say Shaina Kamen and Max Angel at Holland & Knight.

  • A Comparison Of FDIC, OCC Proposed Merger Approaches

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    Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable take a closer look at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's respective bank merger proposals and highlight certain common themes and important differences, in light of regulators continually rethinking their approaches to bank mergers.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • Behind Court Challenges To The FTC's Final Noncompete Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent final rule banning noncompetes may not go into effect any time soon amid a couple of Texas federal court challenges seeking to bar the rule's implementation, which will likely see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.

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