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Public Policy
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March 18, 2025
FCC Dem Starks To Step Down This Spring
The longest-serving Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, Geoffrey Starks, said Tuesday he will resign the post sometime this spring.
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March 18, 2025
Trump Hasn't Asked IRS For Immigrants' Tax Info, Gov't Says
The IRS hasn't received any requests from President Donald Trump for immigrants' tax return information and hasn't released any such information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the government told a D.C. federal court in opposing a restraining order sought by immigrant rights groups.
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March 18, 2025
DC Circ. Gives FERC Chance To Redo LNG Project Approvals
The D.C. Circuit Tuesday said it would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to fix problems in its reauthorizations for two natural gas projects in Texas, revising an August 2024 decision vacating the reauthorizations altogether after the commission said President Donald Trump's revocation of environmental orders should clear them.
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March 18, 2025
Ohio Appeals Court Blocks Trans Care Restrictions
An Ohio state appeals court on Tuesday ruled that a portion of a state law restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth was unconstitutional, overturning a county court judge's decision siding with the state.
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March 18, 2025
BREAKING: Trump Fires FTC's Democrats
President Donald Trump fired the Federal Trade Commission's two Democrats on Tuesday, a move the commissioners vowed to fight and that further tees up the brewing legal battle over separation between the White House and independent agencies.
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March 18, 2025
NRC Says Texas Reactor Licensing Suit Is In The Wrong Court
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants a Texas federal judge to toss a lawsuit claiming the agency doesn't have the authority to license small-scale nuclear reactors, saying not only is the suit meritless, but it was also brought in the wrong court.
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March 18, 2025
States Oppose Term In Sandoz Price Fixing Deal With Fla.
State enforcers still locked in price-fixing litigation against generic-drugmaker Sandoz are raising objections to a cap on what they could win through settlements in Florida's recent agreement with the company, telling the Connecticut federal judge weighing approval that it would block or delay potential settlements of their own.
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March 18, 2025
Conn. Coalition Can't Challenge Pot Shop Zoning Approval
A Connecticut state judge has thrown out a challenge by a group of Stamford residents appealing the city zoning board's approval of a cannabis shop location, finding neither the coalition nor its individual members have shown they have standing.
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March 18, 2025
NY Can't Escape Rail Cos. Challenge To 'Waste By Rail' Law
Railway and recycling industry groups can proceed with their challenge to a New York law that requires coverings be placed over solid waste when transported by rail within the state, a federal judge has said, as they have plausibly claimed that the state law is preempted by federal law.
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March 18, 2025
Fate Of Boston Women's Soccer Stadium Turns On Site Status
Opponents of a $200 million project to turn a decrepit 75-year-old stadium into the home of a new professional women's soccer team at a historic Boston park urged a judge on Tuesday to find that officials have failed to follow a state law intended to preserve public parks.
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March 18, 2025
Dem Ex-EEOC Officials Call Law Firm DEI Letters Overreach
A group of Democrat-appointed former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officials urged acting Chair Andrea Lucas on Tuesday to rescind letters seeking information from 20 law firms about their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, saying she had exceeded the agency's power.
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March 18, 2025
Texas Tells 5th Circ. Trump Executive Order Nixes Pay Ruling
The Texas attorney general told the Fifth Circuit that its ruling in favor of the Biden administration's mandate increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 per hour must now be thrown out because President Donald Trump overturned the rule in an executive order last week.
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March 18, 2025
Savannah Wants 3M PFAS Pollution Suit Back In State Court
Savannah's lawsuit against 3M Inc. and others over the "forever chemical" contamination of its drinking water should remain in Georgia state court, the city argued in an emergency bid, saying the company wants to push the municipality into a "judicial purgatory."
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March 18, 2025
White House Asks Agencies For Info On Union Contract Costs
The Office of Personnel Management has asked federal agencies to detail how much they have spent on bargaining with the unions that represent their workers, launching a probe of potentially "substantial" costs as the Trump administration reexamines the relationship between the government and federal unions.
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March 18, 2025
Bank Groups Push For Permanent Block On Ill. Swipe Fee Law
Banking industry groups moved late Monday to deliver a final blow to an Illinois state law that bans swipe fees on tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, asking a Chicago federal judge to go ahead and finish off the ban before it takes effect this summer.
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March 18, 2025
Chief Justice Speaks Out After Trump's Impeachment Push
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare statement Tuesday saying "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision" after President Donald Trump called for impeaching a judge who blocked the deportation of Venezuelans.
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March 17, 2025
US Chamber Says FCA Qui Tam Provisions Unconstitutional
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday endorsed a legal challenge aimed at bringing down the whistleblower provisions in the False Claims Act, arguing there is a "manifest conflict between the modern FCA's qui tam provisions and Article II's text."
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March 17, 2025
DOGE Wants Judge To Reconsider Records Production Order
The Department of Government Efficiency has asked a D.C. federal judge to reconsider an order requiring it to share requested records with a watchdog group, doubling down on its position that DOGE is not an agency subject to public records law.
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March 17, 2025
OCC Green-Lights SmartBiz, Centrust Fintech Bank
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced Monday it has given the green light for SmartBiz Loans to roll its new acquisition, CenTrust Bank NA, into a financial technology company called SmartBiz Bank NA.
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March 17, 2025
Gutting USAID Threatens US Credibility, 22 Ex-Officials Say
A bipartisan group of former high-ranking national security and defense officials on Monday voiced opposition to the Trump administration's decision to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying in an amicus brief filed in D.C. federal court that the shutdown undermines the United States' credibility while allowing China and Russia to build theirs.
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March 17, 2025
Judge Extends Block On Data Sharing With DOGE
A Maryland federal judge extended her temporary restraining order blocking the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Office of Personnel Management from turning over sensitive personal information on federal employees to Department of Government Efficiency workers Monday, giving herself another week to rule on the workers' preliminary injunction request.
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March 17, 2025
NCAA, States Ask Judge To OK Deal On NIL Recruiting Rules
A coalition of states and the NCAA asked a Tennessee federal judge to sign off Monday on a settlement that seeks to resolve antitrust litigation over the NCAA's ban on athlete recruits' name, image and likeness compensation, revealing new details of the deal, including a permanent bar on future policies.
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March 17, 2025
Fox Mischaracterizes Philly License Controversy, Critics Say
A public interest group has urged the Federal Communications Commission to restore an inquiry into whether Fox TV's Philadelphia station should have been denied a broadcast license renewal for airing election falsehoods in 2020 from Fox's cable news channel.
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March 17, 2025
New Bills Target 'Patent Thickets' And 'Product Hopping'
A bipartisan group of senators is backing two bills it says will use the patent system to lower the price of prescription drugs, in part by targeting "patent thickets" and making "product hopping" a violation of antitrust laws.
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March 17, 2025
Savannah Sues Over PFAS Pollution In River
Numerous chemical and manufacturing companies, including 3M and DuPont, tainted the water supply of the city of Savannah, Georgia, with "forever chemicals" despite knowing for decades the dangers these substances pose, according to a lawsuit removed to federal court.
Expert Analysis
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Weathering Policy Zig-Zags In Gov't Contracting Under Trump
To succeed amid the massive shift in federal contracting policies heralded by President Donald Trump's return to office, contractors should be prepared for increased costs and enhanced False Claims Act enforcement, and to act swiftly to avail themselves of contractual remedies, says Jacob Scott at Smith Currie.
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How Trump's Crypto Embrace Is Spurring Enforcement Reset
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent willingness to step away from ongoing enforcement investigations and actions underscores the changing regulatory landscape for crypto under the new administration, which now appears committed to working with stakeholders to develop a clearer regulatory framework, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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After CEQ's Rollback, Fate Of NEPA May Be In Justices' Hands
The White House Council on Environmental Quality recently announced its intention to rescind its own National Environmental Policy Act regulations, causing additional burdens to existing NEPA challenges, and raising questions for regulated entities and federal agencies that may only be resolved by a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession
For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.
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What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.
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During Financial Regulatory Uncertainty, Slow Down And Wait
Amid the upheaval at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the slowdown in activity at the prudential agencies, banks must exercise patience before adopting strategic and tactical plans, as well as closely monitor legal and regulatory developments concerning all the federal financial regulators, say attorneys at Dorsey.
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1st Circ. IMessage Ruling Illustrates Wire Fraud Circuit Split
The First Circuit’s recent decision that text messages exchanged wholly within Massachusetts but transmitted by the internet count as interstate commerce spotlights a split in how circuits interpret intrastate actions under the federal wire fraud statute, perhaps prompting U.S. Supreme Court review, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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Opinion
It's Time To Fix The SEC's Pay-To-Play Rule
Nearly 15 years after its adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pay-to-play rule is not working as intended — a notion recently echoed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce — and the commission should reconsider the strict liability standard, raise the campaign contribution limits and remove the look-back provision, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy
This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.
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Navigating The Growing Thicket Of 'Right To Repair' Laws
An emerging patchwork of state laws on the right to repair creates tensions with traditional intellectual property and competition principles, so manufacturers should plan proactively for legal disputes and minimize potential for rival third-party repairs to weaponize state laws, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.
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Implementation, Constitutional Issues With Birthright Order
President Donald Trump's executive order reinterpreting the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause presents unavoidable administrative problems and raises serious constitutional concerns about the validity of many existing federal laws and regulations, says Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington School of Law.
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A Closer Look At Money Laundering Sentencing Issues
Federal money laundering cases are on the rise, often involving lengthy prison sentences for defendants who have little to no criminal history, but a closer look at the statistics and case law reveal some potentially valuable arguments that defense attorneys should keep in their arsenal, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.
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What Advisory On Alcohol And Cancer May Mean For Cos.
While the federal government has yet to take concrete steps in response to a January advisory from the outgoing U.S. surgeon general on links between alcohol consumption and cancer, the statement has opened the door to potential regulatory, legislative and litigation challenges for the alcoholic beverage industry, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law
Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.