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Public Policy
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September 05, 2024
Coast Guard Cadets Claim Academy Allowed Assaults
The U.S. Coast Guard was hit with 13 administrative complaints Thursday alleging it failed to prevent sexual assaults of cadets at its academy in Connecticut, marking what the plaintiffs' attorneys say is the first collective action of its kind.
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September 05, 2024
Talks In Geothermal Fight Go On Amid Request For Monument
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, a California tribe and a group of nonprofits say proposed settlement talks in a dispute over a series of geothermal energy leases will continue despite a recent bid by federal lawmakers to have the land in question designated as a national monument.
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September 05, 2024
Lawmakers Seek Better Classified Info Training For Congress
A bipartisan group of 11 members of lawmakers asked House leadership to provide better training on handling classified information when the new session of Congress begins in January.
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September 05, 2024
Industry Presses House To Clear Broadband Permit Hurdles
Nearly a dozen industry groups on Thursday called for U.S. House leaders to finally pass a bill that would help clear various permitting hurdles for broadband network projects.
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September 05, 2024
DA Pans Trump Maneuvering On Hush Money Case Removal
Attorneys in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told the Second Circuit in a letter Thursday that Donald Trump is mischaracterizing a federal judge's recent order to further his baseless bid to move his hush money case to U.S. district court.
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September 05, 2024
Texas Judge Extends Block On DHS Spousal Parole Program
A Texas federal judge Wednesday denied the Biden administration's bid to lift a soon-to-expire pause on issuing parole under its new program for certain U.S. citizens' relatives seeking green cards while in the U.S., extending the temporary stay for another 14 days.
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September 05, 2024
Pa. City Iced Retirees Out Of Ch. 9 Plan Talks, Committee Says
Retiree creditors in the city of Chester, Pennsylvania's bankruptcy have denounced its proposed Chapter 9 plan, telling a judge in Philadelphia it is a "blunt-instrument approach" to complex issues and was docketed without consulting their committee that represents the largest creditor group.
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September 05, 2024
Biden Admin Issues Plans To Address PFAS Use, Exposure
The Biden administration has said it will continue to look for new technologies to remove so-called forever chemicals from the environment and find safe alternatives for the substances, which are used in a vast number of consumer and commercial products.
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September 05, 2024
Navy Secretary Violated Hatch Act, Watchdog Finds
Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has violated the law restricting the political activity of federal employees by speaking for and against presidential candidates in his official capacity, a federal watchdog announced Thursday.
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September 05, 2024
Green Groups Fight Red State AGs' Attack On Civil Rights Regs
Environmental and civil rights groups are opposing a petition filed by attorneys general from 23 primarily Republican-led states demanding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency roll back civil rights regulations that prohibit actions that may unintentionally affect racial groups in different ways.
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September 05, 2024
Okla.'s Teacher Ouster May Have Violated Order, Groups Say
Civil rights groups and Oklahoma university professors say the state may have violated an order that blocks part of a controversial censorship law from being enforced in classrooms after a teacher's license was revoked for encouraging students to access the Brooklyn Public Library and to read a book about racism.
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September 05, 2024
CFPB Flags Rental Price-Fixing As Among FDCPA Concerns
In a Sept. 5 report to Congress, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said rent-setting algorithms of the sort used by RealPage could amount to price-fixing, making efforts to collect on inflated rental debt a violation of federal law.
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September 05, 2024
Ariz. Tribe Doubled Down In Lithium Project Row, Court Told
The federal government has accused the Hualapai Indian Tribe of doubling down on conjecture with regard to the possible effects of the Big Sandy Valley Lithium Exploration Project, urging an Arizona federal judge to reject the tribe's request for a preliminary injunction.
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September 05, 2024
EPA Asks To End Texas, Okla. Air Plan Fight Due To Lost Docs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Fifth Circuit to vacate its challenged 2016 rule that partially disapproved regional haze plans created by Texas and Oklahoma and imposed a federal plan, having lost key records needed to justify its decisions.
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September 05, 2024
Russia 'History Nerd' Avoids Jail In Probe Of Oligarch Ties
A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday allowed a Soviet Union-born Russia history buff to avoid time behind bars for lying the FBI about his affiliation with an anti-Ukraine group controlled by indicted Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev.
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September 05, 2024
EPA Issues Carbon Sequestration Well Permits In Texas
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued draft permits to Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC for three proposed carbon sequestration wells, marking the first time the agency has issued such permits in the state of Texas.
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September 05, 2024
Ahmaud Arbery's Mother Agrees To Dismiss One Of The Killers
The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was murdered by three white men while jogging in coastal Georgia over four years ago, on Thursday dropped one of her son's killers from a civil suit over his killing and the subsequent investigation.
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September 05, 2024
11th Circ. Revives White Miami-Dade Ex-Worker's Bias Suit
The Eleventh Circuit reinstated a white policy director's suit Thursday claiming he was canned by Miami-Dade County because of age and racial bias, ruling a trial court jumped the gun by tossing his case before he was given the chance to collect proof.
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September 05, 2024
White House Education Adviser Joins Nelson Mullins In DC
Nelson Mullins has welcomed a White House policy adviser, who helped shape President Joe Biden's early childhood agenda and served in the Obama administration, as a new partner in the law firm's education consulting arm.
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September 05, 2024
11th Circ. Urged To Boot Fla. Judge From Trump Docs Case
The nonprofit organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a former federal judge and law professors have called on the Eleventh Circuit to reinstate the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump and remove U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon from the matter because she appears biased toward Trump.
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September 05, 2024
DOJ And Google Set For Trial, Again, This Time Over Ad Tech
The U.S. Department of Justice is up Monday for its second high-stakes trial against Google in a year, going after the alleged monopolization of key digital advertising technology in Virginia federal court.
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September 05, 2024
Attys' Group Urges Justices To Back Trucker's CBD RICO Suit
The American Association for Justice is urging the Supreme Court to side with a trucker whose racketeering claims against CBD companies allege their false advertisements cost him his job, arguing that the plain text of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act allows his claims of injury to "business or property."
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September 05, 2024
Broad, Low-Rate DST May Placate US, Ex-OECD Chief Tells EU
The European Union might be able to break an impasse with the U.S. in negotiations on taxing the digital economy by proposing a digital services tax with a wide base and a low rate, former OECD tax chief Pascal Saint-Amans told Paolo Gentiloni, the bloc's economics commissioner.
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September 05, 2024
Liberty Mutual Settles Call Center Workers' Pay Complaint
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday signed off on a settlement between Liberty Mutual and a group of workers at a call center in Pennsylvania over allegations the insurer forced the employees to perform various tasks before and after their shifts without pay.
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September 05, 2024
Ex-Defender Wants Judge To Reassess Judiciary Bias Ruling
A former assistant public defender in North Carolina has asked a Massachusetts federal judge to reconsider his bench ruling siding with the federal judiciary in her due process and equal protection case, saying the facts all point in her favor and the judge misapplied the law in rendering his decision.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Prejudgment Interest Is A Game-Changer In Ill. Civil Suits
Civil litigation can leave plaintiffs financially strained and desperate for any recovery, especially when defendants use delaying tactics — but the Illinois Legislature's move to allow prejudgment interest has helped bring litigants to the table earlier to resolve disputes, minimizing court expenses and benefiting all parties, says Benjamin Crane at Coplan + Crane.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.
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New NHTSA Fuel Economy Rule Adds Compliance Complexity
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recently announced final rule on new corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will create challenges for manufacturers, which must also comply with the EPA's multipollutant rule and California's zero-emission vehicle programs, say Joanne Rotondi and Hannah Graae at Hogan Lovells.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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15 Areas That Would Change Under Health Data Rule Proposal
If finalized, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's proposed rule will significantly progress its efforts to advance interoperability, respond to stakeholder concerns and clarify compliance with the health IT certification program, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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The Road Ahead For Regulation Of Digital Twins In Healthcare
Digital replicas of cells, organs and people — known as digital twins — can facilitate clinical trials for new drugs by reducing the number of patients required, but data limitations can create logistical hurdles and regulatory efforts addressing digital twins are still in early stages, say consultants at Keystone Strategy.
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A Guide To Long-Term, Part-Time Employee Determinations
With final regulations under the Secure Act requiring 401(k) retirement benefits for long-term, part-time employees expected soon, Amy Sheridan and David Guadagnoli at Sullivan & Worcester look at how the proposed rules would shift the risk-reward calculus on excluding categories of employees, and what plan sponsors would need to consider when designing retirement plans.
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Series
After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions
Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Series
After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB
While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.
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PE Firms Should Prepare For Increased False Claims Scrutiny
The impact private equity firms may have over medical decisions and care is increasingly attracting potential liability under the False Claims Act and attention from states and the federal government, so investors should follow best practices including conducting due diligence both before and after acquisitions, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Series
After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
Unclear Intellectual Property Laws Are Stifling US Innovation
U.S. intellectual property law’s lack of predictability means far less job-creating investments for companies that need patent protection to compete, and Congress must step in with legislation like the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to help address the problem, says Michael Gulliford at Soryn IP Capital Management.