Public Policy

  • April 30, 2024

    Ex-Mass. Pol Can't Sink Fraud Case With 'Imaginative' Attacks

    A Boston federal judge on Tuesday rejected what he called an "imaginative and novel" effort by a former Massachusetts politician to dismiss charges of lying to get COVID-19 relief funds and underreporting income on his taxes.

  • April 30, 2024

    High Court Won't Stay Texas' Porn Site Age Check Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to stay a Fifth Circuit decision that allowed a portion of a Texas law requiring visitors to adult-oriented websites to prove their age before accessing content.

  • April 30, 2024

    State Telecom Roundup: Tech Companies As Public Utilities

    It's long-settled law that common carriers and public utilities can't discriminate or deny service without good reason, which is perhaps why there is a push in at least three different states to have the definition of a common carrier expanded to cover tech titans like Google and Facebook.

  • April 30, 2024

    Trump Held In Contempt For Trashing Witnesses In NY Trial

    A New York state judge on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for repeatedly violating a gag order in his criminal hush money case by publicly attacking expected witnesses, including his former attorney Michael Cohen.

  • April 30, 2024

    Coverage Recap: Day 5 Of Trump's NY Hush Money Trial

    Law360 reporters are providing live updates from the Manhattan criminal courthouse as Donald Trump goes on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Here's a recap from day five.

  • April 30, 2024

    EPA Finalizes Methylene Chloride Ban

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday finalized a rule banning all consumer uses and most industrial and commercial uses of methylene chloride, a chemical regulators say can increase cancer risks and cause reproductive damage with repeat exposure. 

  • April 29, 2024

    Judge Rejects 2 Challenges To Medicare Drug Price Talks

    A New Jersey federal judge on Monday shot down a pair of challenges to the Medicare drug price negotiations, extending a string of court victories for the Biden administration as it defends the talks as entirely voluntary.

  • April 29, 2024

    'Hell No': Judge Rejects Ex-NSA Worker's Lighter Sentence Bid

    A Colorado federal judge on Monday sentenced a former National Security Agency employee to nearly 22 years in prison for trying to sell classified national security information to someone he believed to be a Russian agent, calling the conduct "as close to treasonous as you can get."

  • April 29, 2024

    Aviation Co. Fights Delay Of Russian Planes Coverage Suit

    A Florida-based aircraft leasing company has pushed back on its insurers' request to pause its coverage suit for $700 million worth of airplanes reappropriated by Russian airlines after the Ukraine war began, saying the insurers' own litigation against reinsurers should have no bearing on its coverage claims.

  • April 29, 2024

    5th Circ. Urged To Block CFPB's Credit Card Late Fee Rule

    Banking industry trade groups have called for the Fifth Circuit to act quickly to put the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee standard on hold, arguing that large credit card issuers stand to suffer "substantial" losses if it goes into effect even for just one day.

  • April 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Upholds NRC's Exemption For Diablo Canyon Plant

    A Ninth Circuit panel ruled Monday that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not act arbitrarily or capriciously when it allowed Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to belatedly renew its license to continue operating California's last remaining nuclear power plant.

  • April 29, 2024

    House Passes Bill To Curb Online Child Exploitation

    The House by voice vote passed a bipartisan bill on Monday night aimed at better curbing online child sexual exploitation by improving the nation's centralized reporting system, which now goes to the president's desk.

  • April 29, 2024

    Ohio, Ky. Reps. Again Try To Abolish PTAB

    U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have introduced a pair of bills aiming to overrule much of current patent law, including abolishing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and making injunctions more common.

  • April 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Scraps Trans Law Opinion After High Court Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday scrapped its 2023 opinion blocking an Idaho law that would have banned transgender women from competing in sports following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision allowing enforcement of another Idaho law permitting a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, explaining that a revised opinion is needed.

  • April 29, 2024

    High Court Uncertainty Stalls SEC Case Against Marcum CPA

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to stay an in-house proceeding against a partner at accounting firm Marcum LLP accused of failing to properly oversee public company audits, saying that an impending U.S. Supreme Court ruling could call into doubt the agency's ability to fine the accountant.

  • April 29, 2024

    TikTok Law Likely To Withstand Appeal, FCC Member Says

    A federal law banning TikTok unless it's divested from its Chinese parent company is likely to survive upcoming judicial challenges because it differs in key ways from a recently blocked Montana law affecting TikTok, a member of the Federal Communications Commission said.

  • April 29, 2024

    Texas Judge Says X Can Access Watchdog's Internal Docs

    A Texas federal judge has ruled that X Corp. can access the internal communications and donor lists of a media watchdog the tech company accused of spurring advertisers to ditch the social media platform, saying the watchdog hadn't shown a good enough reason to pause discovery.

  • April 29, 2024

    Biz Groups Fight Conn. Ban On 'Captive Audience' Meetings

    A Connecticut law that lets workers skip employers' meetings to discuss unionization violates employers' right to free speech, a coalition of business groups argued in Connecticut federal court, seeking a pretrial win on allegations that the law violates the U.S. Constitution and federal labor law.

  • April 29, 2024

    5th Circ. Ponders If There Were Claims In 'Patient Mistake' Suit

    If an insurer says there's no claim, might a claim still have been made, a skeptical Fifth Circuit panel pondered at oral arguments Monday, considering whether a healthcare company's settlement paid for mistakenly approving out-of-state treatment of a Florida Medicaid patient was covered by insurance.

  • April 29, 2024

    Apple Says Nothing's Changed To Revive COVID App Suit

    Apple urged a California federal judge not to reopen a tossed antitrust lawsuit over the company's refusal to distribute a COVID-19-tracking app on the App Store, arguing that neither new European Union law nor Epic Games' jury win over Google change the dynamics of a case that has favored the iPhone maker at every turn.

  • April 29, 2024

    Don't Put Cable 'Junk Fee' Rules On Biz Services, FCC Told

    Cable providers are asking the Federal Communications Commission to leave business services out of the commission's plans to end cable "junk fees," saying that doing otherwise would jeopardize lower rates negotiated by the businesses.

  • April 29, 2024

    Trans Patients In NC, W.Va. Prevail In 4th Circ. Health Fight

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday affirmed two lower court decisions ordering North Carolina and West Virginia to end discriminatory exclusions for coverage of gender-affirming medical care for transgender people in both states, finding the lower courts properly struck down the policies as "textbook sex discrimination."

  • April 29, 2024

    USPTO Seeks Input On How AI Use Should Affect Patentability

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office wants public input on how the proliferation of artificial intelligence should affect the office's evaluation of patentability, such as in the consideration of what qualifies as prior art and in assessments of a "person having ordinary skill in the art." 

  • April 29, 2024

    GSA Guides Agencies On Responsible Generative AI Buying

    The U.S. General Services Administration on Monday issued guidance to federal agencies for buying generative artificial intelligence services and related hardware, intended to ensure that emerging technology is used "responsibly and effectively."

  • April 29, 2024

    Ex-COO Of Mo. Charity Gets 3 Years For Bribing Officials

    The former chief operating officer of a Missouri-based healthcare charity was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after admitting she and her husband, the charity's ex-chief financial officer, conspired to bribe elected officials in Arkansas, according to Missouri federal court documents.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • Basics Of Bank Regulators' Push For Discount Window Use

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    As the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency emphasize short-term liquidity risk management as central to preventing spring 2023-style bank collapses, banks should carefully tune into regulators’ remarks encouraging use of the Fed’s discount window, which some policymakers identify as a key component in the evolution of liquidity regulation and backstop lending, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Proposed Hydrogen Tax Credit Regs May Be Legally Flawed

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    While the recently proposed regulations for the new clean hydrogen production tax credit have been lauded by some in the environmental community, it is unclear whether they are sufficiently grounded in law, result from valid rulemaking processes, or accord with other administrative law principles, say Hunter Johnston and Steven Dixon at Steptoe.

  • No AI FRAUD Act Is A Significant Step For Right Of Publicity

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    The No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas and Unauthorized Duplications Act's proposed federal right of publicity protection, including post-mortem rights, represents a significant step toward harmonizing the landscape of right of publicity law, Rachel Hofstatter and Aaron Rosenthal at Honigman.

  • How Broker-Dealers Can Prepare For New Remote Work Rules

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    Securities regulators recently expanded broker-dealers' ability to permit flexible remote working arrangements through the introduction of residential supervisory locations, a welcome change that better allows broker-dealers to attract and retain talent, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Perspectives

    Compassionate Release Grants Needed Now More Than Ever

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    After the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent expansion of the criteria for determining compassionate release eligibility, courts should grant such motions more frequently in light of the inherently dangerous conditions presented by increasingly understaffed and overpopulated federal prisons, say Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Communication Is Key As CFPB Updates Appeals Process

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    Though a recently updated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule expands financial institutions' abilities to appeal supervisory decisions, creating strong relationships and open communication channels with CFPB examiners may help resolve disputes faster than the more cumbersome formal process, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Considerations For Disclosing AI Use In SEC Filings

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    Recent remarks from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler should be heard as a clarion call for public companies to disclose artificial intelligence use, with four takeaways on what companies should disclose, says Richard Hong at Morrison Cohen.

  • Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions And Export Controls

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    Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • After TikTok, Tiptoeing Toward Patent Transfer Alignment

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    Following the Fifth Circuit's TikTok decision, which aimed to standardize transfer analysis in patent cases, the Federal Circuit and Texas federal courts facing transfer requests have taken small steps to consider the practical realities of patent litigation, reinforcing the intensely factual focus of the analysis, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.

  • Mitigating Whistleblower Risks After High Court UBS Ruling

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    While it is always good practice for companies to periodically review whistleblower trainings, policies and procedures, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent whistleblower-friendly ruling in Murray v. UBS Securities helps demonstrate their importance in reducing litigation risk, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • What Recent Setbacks In Court Mean For Enviro Justice

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    Two courts in Louisiana last month limited the federal government's ability to require consideration of Civil Rights Act disparate impacts when evaluating state-issued permits — likely providing a framework for opposition to environmental justice initiatives in other states, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • New Hydrogen Regulations Show The Need For IP Protections

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    The introduction of hydrogen regulations, such as the IRS' proposed tax credit for clean hydrogen under the Inflation Reduction Act, are reshaping the competitive landscape, with intellectual property rights an area of increased emphasis, say Evan Glass and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.

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