Public Policy

  • July 11, 2024

    2 Of Alaska's 3 District Judge Seats Listed As 'Emergencies'

    Two of the three district judgeships on the District of Alaska have been listed as "judicial emergencies" following the recent resignation of Judge Joshua Kindred over findings of sexual misconduct.

  • July 11, 2024

    DOL Wants ERISA Investment Advice Regs Kept Afloat

    The U.S. Department of Labor is urging a Texas federal court to reject a bid from insurance industry groups to block its new regulations that broaden who qualifies as a fiduciary under federal benefits law, saying the groups are "grasping for a reason" to evade the law.

  • July 11, 2024

    Paxos Says SEC Won't Bring Case Over Binance Stablecoin

    Crypto trust company Paxos said Thursday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has told the firm it won't face an enforcement action over its issuance of crypto exchange Binance's stablecoin, BUSD.

  • July 11, 2024

    Senate Confirms Judge To Federal Claims Court

    The Senate voted 52-39 Thursday to confirm U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather to the Court of Federal Claims for a term of 15 years.

  • July 11, 2024

    Sens. Say Medical Debt Acute 'Symptom' Of Chronic Issues

    A Senate health committee panel said that medical debt is a "symptom" of high costs in the healthcare system in a hearing on Thursday, with lawmakers and federal agencies proposing solutions to stabilize the issue that impacts consumers and providers. 

  • July 11, 2024

    Ga. Dem Helps Block NY Judge's Nomination From Advancing

    President Joe Biden's nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn for the Southern District of New York failed to advance out the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, after a key Democrat joined Republicans in opposition over her recommendation in a case that an inmate be transferred to a female facility.

  • July 11, 2024

    Low-Speed EV Maker Sues Treasury Over Blocked Tax Credits

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it passed final regulations excluding low-speed vehicles from qualifying for clean vehicle tax credits, a maker of low-speed electric cars told a D.C. federal court.

  • July 11, 2024

    House Vote Fails To Quash Veto Of SEC Crypto Accounting Bill

    The U.S. House on Thursday failed to override President Joe Biden's veto of a bill that sought to roll back controversial crypto accounting guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after Democrats urged members to stick by the president.

  • July 11, 2024

    House Fails To Pass Inherent Contempt Resolution For AG

    The House on Thursday failed to pass a Republican-led inherent contempt resolution for Attorney General Merrick Garland in hopes of obtaining audiotapes of President Joe Biden's interviews with special counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents investigation, but the measure's sponsor promised to try again.

  • July 11, 2024

    Feds Say Chinese, Turkish Importers Skirting Refrigerant Duty

    The U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday found that refrigerants imported from China and Turkey are skirting an antidumping duty order on Chinese hydrofluorocarbon, exposing the imports to duties exceeding 200%.

  • July 11, 2024

    Wash. Justices Agree To Review State's Pot Co. Wage Suit

    The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to review whether the state labor agency jumped the gun by suing a cannabis company to collect back pay for employees before the agency knew how much money the workers were owed.

  • July 11, 2024

    Biden Floats $2B To Drive US Auto Industry's EV Pivot

    The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled its latest initiative to bolster domestic automotive production by offering nearly $2 billion in grants to convert 11 auto manufacturing and assembly facilities that have been shuttered or are at risk of closing to build electric vehicles and related components.

  • July 10, 2024

    Pledging 'Accountability,' Biden's FDIC Pick Faces Senate Test

    President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to stress her regulatory credentials and determination to fix the agency's troubled work culture when she goes before a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday for a confirmation hearing.

  • July 10, 2024

    Texas Panel Tosses Electrocution Suit Against Oil Well Owner

    A Texas state appeals court found that an oil field station owner wasn't responsible for a contractor's electrocution at the station, ruling Tuesday that the owner didn't owe any duty to the contractor under any negligence theory because it didn't direct the contractor's work.

  • July 10, 2024

    Drug Pricing, Overreach Dominate IP Disclaimer Feedback

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has received heated feedback regarding its proposal to make follow-on patents easier to invalidate, with drug pricing advocates applauding it, top technology and pharma companies decrying it, and high-profile officials calling the proposal an overstep of the agency's authority.

  • July 10, 2024

    Nassar Sex Abuse Law Not Retroactive, Mich. Justices Say

    The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a legislative change to extend civil suit deadlines for certain victims of sexual assault as minors does not apply retroactively, finding that claims from a man who said he was assaulted by a priest in the 1990s were untimely.

  • July 10, 2024

    SEC Exchange Plan Can't Stand Post-Chevron, Uniswap Says

    Decentralized finance firm Uniswap Labs is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to adopt a rule that could force it and other cryptocurrency trading platforms to register with the agency as securities exchanges, saying the rule will not survive a legal challenge now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Chevron deference. 

  • July 10, 2024

    FCC Says Nearly Half 'Rip And Replace' Providers Can't Finish

    The Federal Communications Commission said the agency is going to need another $3 billion if it's to keep its promise to reimburse all the companies who agreed to rip out and replace their Chinese-made technology to alleviate security concerns.

  • July 10, 2024

    Energy Cos., States Seek Review Of Calif. Emissions Decision

    Industry groups and a coalition of states led by Ohio are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit ruling upholding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of a waiver letting California set greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program.

  • July 10, 2024

    FTC Must Think Hard Before Trying More Rules, Commish Says

    One of the Federal Trade Commission's recently confirmed Republican commissioners called on the agency Wednesday to take a close look at how courts handle its ban on employment noncompete clauses before considering any further attempts at pushing the bounds of its regulatory authority.

  • July 10, 2024

    ACLU Says Vetting Policy Ensnared Innocent Immigrants

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has a secret vetting program that it has used for more than 15 years to keep certain green card and citizenship applications in "immigration purgatory," the American Civil Liberties Union announced Wednesday in a white paper.

  • July 10, 2024

    Major Cable Group Opposes FirstNet Bid For 4.9 GHz Manager

    Cable trade group NCTA is urging the Federal Communications Commission to listen to the chorus of public safety groups who have been pushing hard against the idea of making AT&T's FirstNet the national manager of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band.

  • July 10, 2024

    ​GOP Bombards Agencies With Demands After Chevron's End

    Republican leaders of major congressional committees Wednesday demanded details from dozens of agencies on policies suddenly shrouded in uncertainty after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives overturned the so-called Chevron doctrine, which for 40 years gave regulators flexibility in rulemaking and advantages in related litigation.

  • July 10, 2024

    FCC To Fine Telecom Involved In Universal Service Challenge

    The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a $100,000 fine against an Ohio-based telecommunications company over late paperwork with the Universal Service Administration.

  • July 10, 2024

    Jewish Groups Sue Ed. Dept. Over Penn Protest Investigation

    The U.S. Department of Education failed to meet its duty to properly investigate a "tsunami" of antisemitic behavior on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, a Jewish nonprofit and its member organization have claimed in Washington, D.C., federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Big Banks Face Potential Broader Recovery Plan Rules

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    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent call for potentially subjecting more banks to recovery planning standards would represent a significant expansion of the scope of the recovery guidelines, and banks that would be affected should assess whether they’re prepared, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • New Laws, Regs Mean More Scrutiny Of Airline Carbon Claims

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    Recent climate disclosure laws and regulations in the U.S. and Europe mean that scrutiny of airlines' green claims will likely continue to intensify — so carriers must make sure their efforts to reduce carbon emissions through use of sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and carbon offsets measure up to their marketing, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • What Employers Need To Know About Colorado's New AI Law

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    The Colorado AI Act, enacted in May and intended to regulate the use of high-risk artificial intelligence systems to prevent algorithmic discrimination, is broad in scope and will apply to businesses using AI for certain employment purposes, imposing numerous compliance obligations and potential liability, say Laura Malugade and Owen Davis at Husch Blackwell.

  • What DOL Fiduciary Rule Means For Private Fund Managers

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the U.S. Department of Labor's recently released final fiduciary rule, which revises the agency's 1975 regulation, could potentially cause private fund managers' current marketing practices and communications to be considered fiduciary advice, and therefore subject them to strict prohibitions.

  • Best Practices For Chemical Transparency In Supply Chains

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    A flurry of new and forthcoming regulations in different jurisdictions that require disclosure of potentially hazardous substances used in companies' products and processes will require businesses to take proactive steps to build chemical transparency into their supply chains, and engage robustly and systematically with vendors, says Jillian Stacy at Enhesa.

  • What 11th Circ. Fearless Fund Ruling Means For DEI In Courts

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent backing of a freeze on the Fearless Fund's grants to women of color building new companies marks the latest major development in litigation related to diversity, equity and inclusion and may be used to question other DEI programs targeted at providing opportunities to certain classes of individuals, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Opinion

    Paid Noncompetes Offer A Better Solution Than FTC's Ban

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    A better alternative to the Federal Trade Commission's recent and widely contested noncompete ban would be a nationwide bright-line rule requiring employers to pay employees during the noncompete period, says Steven Kayman at Rottenberg Lipman.

  • Opinion

    Flawed Fintiv Rule Should Be Deemed Overreach In Tech Suit

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    A pending federal lawsuit over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's unilateral changes to key elements of the America Invents Act, Apple v. Vidal, could shift the balance of power between Congress and federal agencies, as it could justify future instances of unelected officials unilaterally changing laws, say Patrick Leahy and Bob Goodlatte.

  • Unpacking The Latest Tranche Of Sanctions Targeting Russia

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    Hundreds of new U.S. sanctions and export-control measures targeting trade with Russia, issued last week in connection with the G7 summit, illustrate the fluidity of trade-focused restrictions and the need to constantly refresh compliance analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.

  • Navigating New Safe Harbor For Domestic Content Tax Credits

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    The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s recent notice simplifying domestic content calculations for certain solar, onshore wind and battery storage projects, which directly acknowledges the difficulty for taxpayers in gathering data to support a domestic content analysis, should make it easier to qualify additional domestic content bonus tax credits, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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