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Public Policy
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May 23, 2024
SEC Opens Gate To Ether ETFs, But Firms Await Green Light
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission started the process of bringing exchange-traded funds holding the cryptocurrency ether to market on Thursday when it approved a series of filings permitting national securities exchanges to list the products, leaving firms to wait for the next step before trading can begin.
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May 23, 2024
RFK Jr.'s Anti-Vax Suit Against Wash. AG Tossed
A Washington federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of NBA legend John Stockton trying to shield doctors who make anti-vaccine statements, ruling claims that a medical board probe has chilled speech are speculative.
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May 23, 2024
Feds Ask 5th Circ. To Weigh Highway GHG Rule Vacatur
The Biden administration has asked the Fifth Circuit to review a Texas district court's recent decision vacating a Federal Highway Administration rule that would've required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.
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May 23, 2024
DOJ Has A Long Set To Play Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster
The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit announced Thursday against Live Nation and Ticketmaster's dominance over performing artists, venues and tickets may have been 14 years in the making, but it still has a long road ahead in New York federal court.
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May 23, 2024
NJ Justices Toss Direct Appeals Over Hospital Contract Bid
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an independent state-owned teaching hospital's conduct cannot be challenged directly in the state's intermediate appellate court because it isn't considered an administrative agency, affirming the dismissal of two protests over the hospital's selection of a pharmacy vendor.
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May 23, 2024
House Members Approve Closing Delta-8 Hemp 'Loophole'
A U.S. House of Representatives committee on Thursday approved a major change to the statutory definition of hemp and hemp products — which would effectively rewrite national hemp policy if it became law — in the next version of the federal Farm Bill.
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May 23, 2024
ACLU Follows DOJ In Bid To Block Okla. Immigration Law
The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging an Oklahoma law criminalizing the presence of undocumented immigrants in the state, mirroring a similar suit the U.S. Department of Justice filed the day prior.
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May 23, 2024
White House Pushes Back On GOP's Nominee Complaints
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is withholding his go-ahead for a nominee to serve as a U.S. district judge in the Southern District of Florida, alleging that the White House did not work with him. The White House says otherwise.
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May 23, 2024
Proposal To Expand PTAB Practitioners Divides Atty Groups
Patent lawyers and others have chimed in on proposed plans from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that would potentially "designate nonregistered practitioners" to litigate at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with some urging the agency to let nonpatent lawyers argue there, while others warn it could "dilute the importance of the registration process."
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May 23, 2024
Alaskan Youth Sue State Over $43B Natural Gas Project
A group of children is suing Alaska to stop a $43 billion liquefied natural gas project, alleging the endeavor violates their rights under the state constitution to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, liberty and dignity.
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May 23, 2024
House Panel Pushes AM Radio Bill Forward
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle came together to bump a popular proposal to prevent automakers from removing AM radios from their vehicles through to the full committee, with the bill sailing through markup Thursday morning.
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May 23, 2024
22 States Seek To Defend EPA Heavy-Duty Truck GHG Rule
A coalition of 22 Democrat-led states and four cities moved to intervene on Thursday in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing that vacating the rule would lead to direct injuries to state lands and resources.
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May 23, 2024
Feds Agree To Clean, Close Dump Site For Tribal Nations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to properly clean and shut down a 70-year-old solid waste dump site on tribal lands in northern Arizona, saying federal law requirements for its closure haven't been followed since 1997.
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May 23, 2024
White House Says 1st Circ. Judge Didn't Aid Daughter's Nom
The White House said Thursday that a First Circuit judge played no part in his daughter's nomination to the appeals court, and plans to retire if she's confirmed.
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May 23, 2024
Thomas Sees No Role For Courts In Election Map Fights
While his Supreme Court colleagues sparred over evidence standards Thursday in a 6-3 decision rejecting claims that South Carolina's congressional map diluted the power of Black voters, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a solo opinion to argue the country's founders never intended courts to referee election map fights.
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May 23, 2024
FCC Aims To Reduce Risk From China-Controlled Test Labs
The Federal Communications Commission pushed Thursday for new rules to prevent foreign adversaries, mainly the Chinese Communist Party, from playing a role in testing and certifying communications equipment in the U.S. market.
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May 23, 2024
Ill. Justices OK $28M Tax Value Appeal Without Payment
A power company's property in Illinois was not required to pay disputed property taxes before appealing a valuation, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed Thursday, upholding a reduction in the assessment of about $28 million.
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May 23, 2024
FERC Cements 1-Year Window For State, Tribal Water Permits
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it will give states and tribes one year to act on water quality certificate requests from developers of any energy project seeking agency approval, the maximum amount of time allowed under the Clean Water Act.
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May 23, 2024
NC GOP Wants 'Citizen-Only' Voting Question On Ballots
North Carolina Republicans on Thursday pushed to amend the state constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens may vote in the state.
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May 23, 2024
Enforcers Want To Know Where Roll-Ups Are Happening
The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice are asking for help finding industries where serial acquisitions and roll-up strategies are being used, building on a probe of the healthcare sector launched earlier this year.
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May 23, 2024
Conn. To Expand Paid Sick Leave To Smaller Businesses
More employees in Connecticut will soon become eligible for paid sick leave after the state's governor gave his blessing on a bill that expands the state's time-off requirements to include smaller businesses.
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May 23, 2024
Length A 'Red Herring' In Black Student's Hair Bias Case
A Black Texas high school student claiming his Houston-area district is discriminating against him for wearing his hair in locs told a Galveston judge Thursday the district forces students to choose a religion if they want to style their hair outside the district's dress code, as he fought off multiple dismissal bids.
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May 23, 2024
Ga. Judge Says Disorderly Law 'Likely Survives' Challenge
A federal judge has declined to grant a Georgia man's request to block enforcement of the disorderly conduct ordinance he was arrested under in 2021, finding the law "likely survives" a constitutional challenge to its alleged limits on free speech rights.
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May 23, 2024
Commerce Must Rethink German Steel Duties A 4th Time
The U.S. Department of Commerce failed a third time to convince the trade court that its assessment of a German steel company's energy costs is correct, with the court ordering it to once again rethink duties on the company's exports.
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May 23, 2024
AT&T Stands To Gain Billions From 4.9 GHz, Report Says
A group representing Verizon and T-Mobile is renewing its effort to stop AT&T-affiliate FirstNet from gaining further control of the 4.9 gigahertz public safety band, this time arguing that AT&T stands to gain over $3 billion worth of spectrum if the Federal Communications Commission extends FirstNet's authority.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
State-Regulated Cannabis Can Thrive Without Section 280E
Marijauna's reclassification as a Schedule III-controlled substance comes at a critical juncture, as removing marijuana from being subjected to Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code is the only path forward for the state-regulated cannabis industry to survive and thrive, say Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie and Sammy Markland at FTI Consulting.
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Asset Manager Exemption Shifts May Prove Too Burdensome
The U.S. Department of Labor’s recent change to a prohibited transaction exemption used by retirement plan asset managers introduces a host of new costs, burdens and risks to investment firms, from registration requirements to new transition periods, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Pay-To-Play Deal Shows Need For Strong Compliance Policies
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, through its recent settlement with Wayzata, has indicated that it will continue stringent enforcement of the pay-to-play rule, so investment advisers should ensure strong compliance policies are in place to promptly address potential violations as the November elections approach, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Key Takeaways From FDA Final Rule On Lab-Developed Tests
Michele Buenafe and Dennis Gucciardo at Morgan Lewis discuss potential consequences of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently finalized rule regulating lab-developed tests as medical devices, and explain the rule's phaseout policy for enforcement discretion.
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A Look At New IRS Rules For Domestically Controlled REITs
The Internal Revenue Services' finalized Treasury Regulations addressing whether real estate investment trusts qualify as domestically controlled adopt the basic structure of previous proposals, but certain new and modified rules may mitigate the regulations' impact, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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7 Effects Of DOL Retirement Asset Manager Exemption Rule
The recent U.S. Department of Labor amendment to the retirement asset manager exemption delivers several key practical impacts, including the need for managers, as opposed to funds, to register with the DOL, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Kansas Workers' Comp. Updates Can Benefit Labor, Business
While the most significant shake-up from the April amendment to the Kansas Workers Compensation Act will likely be the increase in potential lifetime payouts for workers totally disabled on the job, other changes that streamline the hearing process will benefit both employees and companies, says Weston Mills at Gilson Daub.
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4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule
If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.
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What Lies Behind Diverging US And UK Insolvency Trends
Contrasting U.K. and U.S. insolvency trends highlight the importance of policy interventions in shaping consumer financial outcomes and economic recovery, and while the U.K.'s approach seems to have mitigated issues, the U.S. faces challenges exacerbated by economic conditions and policy transitions, says Thomas Curran at Thomas H. Curran Associates.
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Liquidity Risk Management Tops NCUA Exam Priorities
As credit unions map their regulatory initiatives and audit plans, they should look to the National Credit Union Administration’s annual supervisory priorities, which include five important examination areas, including liquidity management and interest rate risk, say Juan Arciniegas and Judy Chen at Chapman and Cutler.
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Protecting IP May Be Tricky Without Noncompetes
Contrary to the Federal Trade Commission's view, trade secret law cannot replace noncompetes' protection of proprietary information because intellectual property includes far more than just trade secrets, so businesses need to closely examine their IP protection options, say Aimee Fagan and Ching-Lee Fukuda at Sidley.
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Regulating Resurrected Species Under The ESA
As the prospect of extinct species being resurrected from DNA and reintroduced into the wild grows closer, an analysis of the Endangered Species Act suggests that it could provide a thoughtful, flexible governance framework for such scenarios, say Caroline Meadows and Shelby Bobosky at the SMU Dedman School of Law.
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A Look At FERC's Plan To End Reactive Power Compensation
A recent notice of proposed rulemaking indicates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is likely to eliminate compensation for reactive power within the standard power factor range — causing significant impacts for the electric power industry, which relies on income from providing this service, say Norman Bay and Matthew Goldberg at Willkie and Vivian Chum at Wright & Talisman.
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How FTC's Noncompete Rule May Affect Exec Comp Packages
In the event the Federal Trade Commission's final noncompete rule goes into effect as currently contemplated, companies will need to take stock of how they structure post-employment executive compensation arrangements, such as severance agreements and clawbacks, says Meredith O'Leary at King & Spalding.
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Action Steps To Address New Restrictions On Outbound Data
Companies should immediately assess all their data-based operations so they can consider strategies to effectively mitigate new compliance risks brought on by recently implemented transaction restrictions, including a Justice Department proposal and landmark data legislation, say attorneys at Wiley.