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Public Policy
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December 06, 2024
House Poised To Take Up JUDGES Act As Some Dems Balk
A bipartisan bill to create more federal judgeships to meet increasing caseloads is on the House's schedule for next week, but its support from some Democrats appears to be waning.
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December 06, 2024
Ex-Conn. Utility Execs May Get Reprieve From 2nd Indictment
Two former Connecticut utility company executives who are weeks away from beginning federal prison sentences entered pretrial diversion agreements with the government on Friday that would allow them to escape a second raft of charges alleging that they conspired to misuse public money.
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December 06, 2024
Huizar's Big Brother Avoids Jail In LA City Hall Bribery Case
The older brother of former Los Angeles City Councilor José Huizar on Friday avoided prison for lying to investigators about his role laundering bribes for the disgraced politician, with a California federal judge crediting the defendant's cooperation after he "finally decided to tell the truth."
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December 06, 2024
NYC Council OKs Mayor's Affordable Housing Plan
The New York City Council passed a package of zoning reforms designed to spur housing production, greenlighting Mayor Eric Adams' City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan after the city and state agreed to earmark $5 billion in funding to accompany the zoning overhaul.
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December 06, 2024
Ex-City Officials In California Cop To Cannabis Permit Bribes
Two former officials of Los Angeles County cities have pled guilty to bribing another local politician in an attempt to influence his votes for cannabis dispensary permits.
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December 06, 2024
NC Lt. Gov. Fights Porn Store Clerk's Exit From Defamation Suit
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has hit back at a former porn store clerk's dismissal bid in his defamation suit that includes CNN, saying the motion is based on a bogus pleading violation under state court procedures even though the suit is now before a federal judge.
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December 06, 2024
Feds, NC Insurance Mogul Want Grier Wright On $2B Liquidation
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg and federal prosecutors have come together to ask a North Carolina federal judge to appoint an attorney from Grier Wright Martinez PA to serve as special master for liquidating Lindberg's billions in assets as restitution for his $2 billion fraud scheme.
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December 06, 2024
FDIC Asked Banks To 'Pause' Crypto Activity, Letters Show
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. directed some financial institutions to pause cryptocurrency-related activity while the agency evaluated regulatory concerns with the services, according to letters made public Friday in response to a suit a research consultancy filed on behalf of the crypto exchange Coinbase Global Inc.
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December 06, 2024
Senate OKs Bill To Ease SEC Reporting Regs On Rural Telcos
The Senate has unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to expand access to broadband in rural areas by reducing the "red tape" on smaller broadband providers.
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December 06, 2024
AI Hype Won't Wash With Canadian Securities Regulators
The Canadian Securities Administration is warning market participants against hyping ties to artificial intelligence in order to drum up interest for investments — a practice called "AI washing" — as the agency invites public comment before crafting AI-focused regulations.
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December 06, 2024
Off The Bench: Kyrie Irving Sued, Golf's New Transgender Ban
In this week's Off The Bench, the New York Knicks and Rangers sue the unknown masses of people selling counterfeit team gear, a therapist who put on a family retreat for Kyrie Irving sues him over the bill, and two major golf organizations block transgender players from women's tournaments.
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December 06, 2024
Gov't Appeals Texas Judge's Block On Anti-Laundering Law
The U.S. government has appealed a Texas federal judge's order that halted the rollout of new reporting requirements aimed at unmasking anonymous shell companies, setting the stage for the Fifth Circuit to weigh in on the nationwide preliminary injunction.
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December 06, 2024
1st Circ. Affirms Mass. Wind Energy Permits
A three-judge First Circuit panel rejected a pair of fishing industry challenges to environmental permits for the massive — and now paused — Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.
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December 06, 2024
Canada's Chinese Import Surtaxes Expected To Raise $334M
Canada's new surtaxes on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products are estimated to generate CA$473 million ($334 million) over the next five years, though the EV surtax on its own is likely to cause a dip in revenue, a government analysis said.
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December 06, 2024
EU Finalizes Deal With South American Trade Bloc
After 25 years of negotiations, and five years after a deal was initially struck, the European Union finalized a sweeping trade accord with the South American trading bloc Mercosur Friday, but is likely to face stiff headwinds from European farmers.
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December 06, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Revisit Retroactive FARA Registration
The D.C. Circuit rejected a bid asking the en banc court to reconsider a panel ruling that bars the federal government from suing to compel former foreign agents to retroactively register their onetime foreign influence.
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December 06, 2024
Boston City Councilor Indicted In Bonus Kickback Scheme
A Boston city councilor stole thousands of dollars in public funds through a bonus kickback scheme she orchestrated with a relative she hired to work in her office, federal prosecutors said Friday.
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December 06, 2024
Trump Adds Border Hardliners To Homeland Security Team
President-elect Donald Trump rolled out three more picks to staff his homeland security team whose backgrounds indicate the incoming administration is poised to proceed apace with its planned border crackdown.
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December 06, 2024
DC Circ. Upholds TikTok Sale-Or-Ban Law
A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld a federal law giving TikTok until January to cut ties with its Chinese parent company or face a ban in the U.S., ruling that the statute survives constitutional scrutiny.
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December 05, 2024
Trump Taps Musk Ally David Sacks As 'AI & Crypto Czar'
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected David O. Sacks, a tech investor who worked alongside Elon Musk and entrepreneur Peter Thiel in the early days of PayPal, to be the newly created "White House AI & Crypto Czar."
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December 05, 2024
Internet Archive Won't Take E-Book Fair Use To Justices
The Internet Archive on Wednesday said it will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether its practice of distributing copyrighted e-books for free without permission from some of the world's biggest publishers is excused by the Copyright Act's fair use doctrine.
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December 05, 2024
Feds Defend Asylum Rule And 'Manifestation' Standard
The Biden administration on Wednesday defended its recent rule curtailing asylum at the southern border, telling a D.C. federal court that it acted reasonably in putting the "onus" on noncitizens to express a fear of persecution or torture.
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December 05, 2024
Texas Lt. Gov. Wants Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has unveiled legislation that looks to ban all forms of consumable THC, including hemp products that "might include unremovable, nonintoxicating trace amounts of delta-9 THC."
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December 05, 2024
Ally Visa Seekers Say Feds Are Trying To Add Delay To Delay
A certified class of Afghans and Iraqis who aided U.S. troops and are waiting for the government to process their already unreasonably delayed special immigrant visas told a D.C. federal judge on Wednesday the government shouldn't be able to add even more time to the plan to deliver their visas.
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December 05, 2024
Rocket Mortgage Sues HUD, Hits Back At DOJ Race Bias Suit
Rocket Mortgage, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, has punched back against housing discrimination claims brought by the U.S. government, countersuing in Colorado federal court to challenge what it argues are "conflicting and irreconcilable" mandates at play.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of the year, California continued to be at the forefront of banking regulation as it enacted legislation on unfair banking practices and junk fees, and the state Department of Financial Protection and Innovation notably initiated enforcement actions focused on crypto-assets and student loan debt relief, say Stuart Richter and Eric Hail at Katten.
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Opinion
FTC's Report Criticizing Drug Middlemen Is Flawed
The Federal Trade Commission's July report, which claims that pharmacy benefit managers are inflating drug costs, does not offer a credible analysis of PBMs, and its methodology lacks rigor, says Jay Ezrielev at Elevecon.
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Revisiting The Crime-Fraud Exception After Key Trump Cases
Evidence issues in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and classified documents cases involving former President Donald Trump offer an opportunity to restudy elements and implications of the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine, noting the courts' careful scrutiny of these matters, say Robert Hoff and Paul Tuchmann at Wiggin and Dana.
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Enviro Policy Trends That Will Continue Beyond The Election
Come October in a presidential election year, the policy world feels like a winner-take-all scenario, with the outcome of the vote determining how or even whether we are regulated — but there are several key ongoing trends that will continue to drive environmental regulation regardless of the election results, say J. Michael Showalter and Samuel Rasche at ArentFox Schiff.
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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.
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Series
Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.
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Plan Sponsors Must Prep For New Mental Health, Drug Rules
To comply with newly published health insurance rules requiring parity between access to mental health and substance use services compared to medical and surgical services, employers with self-insured plans will need to update third-party administrator agreements and collect data, among other compliance steps, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.
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The Trade And Tax Issues Behind US-Canada Digital Tax Clash
The new Canadian digital services tax recently went into effect despite objections from the U.S., a controversy that represents an unusual mix of trade and tax policy, and many companies have been pondering how it will affect their e-commerce businesses, says Damon Pike at BDO.
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Aviation Watch: Boeing Plea Agreement May Not Serve Public
The proposed plea agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Boeing — the latest outgrowth of the company's 737 Max travails — is opposed by crash victims' families, faces an uncertain fate in court, and may ultimately serve no beneficial purpose, even if approved, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.
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Opinion
Bill Is Key To Protecting US Economy From Patent Piracy
It is critical that Congress pass a recently introduced bill that would protect U.S. investors from intellectual property theft by restoring court-ordered injunctions as the default remedy in patent infringement cases to ensure inventors get the justice they deserve, says Andrei Iancu at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Managing Sanctions Defense Across Multiple Jurisdictions
Companies called before multiple regulators to account for the same conduct in this era of increased global sanctions and import-control enforcement should consider national differences in law and policy, and proactively coordinate their responses in certain key areas, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Series
Colorado Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of 2024, Colorado's banking and financial services sector faced both regulatory updates and changes to state law due to recent federal court decisions — with consequences for local governments, mortgage lenders, state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered lenders serving Colorado consumers, says Sarah Auchterlonie at Brownstein Hyatt.
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Building US-Japan Relationships In The M&A Market
The prospect of U.S.-Japanese mergers and acquisitions presents stronger competition to U.S. investors in the global M&A markets, while also opening up an additional exit route for sellers looking to offload strategic assets, says Nick Wall at A&O Shearman.
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Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession
About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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4 Ways To Prepare For DOD Cyber Certification Rule
Given the U.S. Department of Justice's increased scrutiny of contractor compliance with cybersecurity requirements, it is critical that contractors take certain steps now in response to the U.S. Department of Defense's proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification implementation rule, say Townsend Bourne and Lillia Damalouji at Sheppard Mullin.