Public Policy

  • April 23, 2024

    EPA Finishes Stronger Chemical Risk Evaluation Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday announced stronger and broader regulations to assess chemicals' health and environmental risks, completing a process that started when the Ninth Circuit struck down parts of the initial rule as too weak.

  • April 23, 2024

    Trade Court Orders Feds To Rethink Canadian Lumber Duties

    The U.S. Court of International Trade ordered the U.S. Department of Commerce to redo countervailing duties on Canadian lumber, saying the department must better explain its refusal to check whether suppliers for investigated companies had received government subsidies.

  • April 23, 2024

    Ex-Public Defender Wants 4th Circ. To End Wait In Bias Suit

    A former public defender suing the federal judiciary for allegedly failing to take her sexual harassment claims seriously asked the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday to force a federal judge's hand after more than four months without a ruling following a bench trial, saying a decision on her long-pending bid for a preliminary injunction is overdue.

  • April 23, 2024

    NC Felony Voting Law Struck Down As Unconstitutional

    A North Carolina federal judge has struck down the state's 147-year-old law making it a crime for convicted felons to vote, finding that the statute disproportionately targets Black voters and had been inconsistently enforced in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

  • April 23, 2024

    Do Not Remand FDA Cigar Rule Without Vacatur, DC Circ. Told

    The New Civil Liberties Alliance is urging the D.C. Circuit not to remand a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule regulating premium cigars without first vacating the regulation, saying federal agencies cannot enforce rules that have been declared unlawful.

  • April 23, 2024

    Ga. Bar Race Bias Suit Should Stay Dead, 11th Circ. Told

    The State Bar of Georgia told the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday that a federal court was right to wash its hands of a racial bias suit filed by an attorney against the bar last year, because the Peach State's high court is the only court with jurisdiction over attorney discipline issues.

  • April 23, 2024

    Md.-Based Career Public Servant Is The FTC's Newest ALJ

    The Federal Trade Commission announced the appointment of another administrative law judge on Tuesday, elevating a longtime public servant who had previously become the first female Muslim American administrative law judge at the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings.

  • April 23, 2024

    Colo. Neural Privacy Law Has Attys Scratching Their Heads

    Colorado's governor signed the nation's first law specifically protecting neural data last week, but privacy attorneys say key caveats in the legislation leave them unsure how far the measure really goes.

  • April 23, 2024

    Reciprocal Discipline Not Time Limited, Colo. Justices Say

    A former Colorado attorney cannot escape disbarment there, the state Supreme Court has ruled, finding a rule placing a time limit on sanctions does not apply to reciprocal discipline, and therefore the attorney's 2022 disbarment in Washington, D.C., for misconduct that occurred in 2008 and 2009 may be reciprocated in Colorado.

  • April 23, 2024

    Atty Can Deduct $303K In Racing Ad Costs, 10th Circ. Told

    A Colorado attorney asked the Tenth Circuit to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision that prevented him from deducting $303,000 in advertising expenses tied to his automobile racing, saying the lower court incorrectly ruled that the costs were related to a hobby rather than his litigation practice.

  • April 23, 2024

    Coverage Recap: Day 2 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 full recap from day two.

  • April 23, 2024

    FTC Bars Employers From Imposing Noncompete Contracts

    The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 on Tuesday to ban essentially all noncompete agreements that employers frequently impose on workers, leaving an earlier draft of the ban mostly unchanged other than to allow existing noncompete agreements with senior executives to remain while banning future ones for top corporate officials.

  • April 23, 2024

    Jury Finds Ex-Ecuadorian Official Guilty Of Money Laundering

    A Florida federal jury on Tuesday found the former comptroller of Ecuador guilty on all counts charged against him by the government, which accused him of taking millions of dollars in bribes and directing his son, a banker in Miami, to launder the money.

  • April 23, 2024

    Trump 'Detached From Facts' In Fla. Docs Case, Feds Say

    Prosecutors in Donald Trump's classified documents case have told a Florida federal judge that the former president's legal team was trying to paint a false narrative of political bias in its motion to obtain more discovery.

  • April 23, 2024

    Trump Atty 'Losing Credibility' In Defending Posts, Judge Says

    The New York judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's hush money case on Tuesday gave a harsh appraisal of defense attorney Todd Blanche's attempts to keep his client out of criminal contempt for disparaging witnesses online, saying the lawyer was "losing all credibility" as he argued Trump was "being very careful" with his words.

  • April 23, 2024

    DOL's Final Investment Advice Regs Expand ERISA's Reach

    The U.S. Department of Labor issued final regulations Tuesday broadening who qualifies as a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, backing off some changes included in a proposal the agency released in October.

  • April 23, 2024

    DOL Unveils Final OT Rule That Raises Salary Limits

    The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday released its long-awaited final rule raising the salary thresholds for overtime exemptions, solidifying aspects of a proposal that faced opposition from Republicans and business groups.

  • April 22, 2024

    HHS Finalizes Rule Bolstering Abortion Privacy Protections

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday issued a finalized version of its new rule that aims to protect the privacy of abortion providers and patients by prohibiting the disclosure of information related to "lawful reproductive health care," according to an announcement made by the agency.

  • April 22, 2024

    DOJ Antitrust Concerns Topple $960M Insulation Biz Merger

    Insulation and building material provider TopBuild Corp. said Monday it has terminated its $960 million agreement to buy mechanical insulation provider Specialty Products & Insulation from private equity firm Incline Equity Partners, saying it was unable to reach a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice over antitrust concerns.

  • April 22, 2024

    Colo. Justices Clarify Med Mal Damages Cap Calculation

    The Colorado Supreme Court held Monday that a trial court can't consider a victorious medical malpractice plaintiff's insurance liabilities to statutorily cap his award at $1 million, saying an exception to the state's "collateral source" statute bars application.

  • April 22, 2024

    4 Biggest Takeaways From New EPA 'Forever Chemicals' Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule listing two "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances under the Superfund law will introduce costly new cleanup requirements at polluted sites — that is, if the rule survives probable legal challenges targeting its novel legal foundation and the accuracy of asserted health risks.

  • April 22, 2024

    NY's 'Buy-Now, Pay-Later' Oversight Bill Delayed But Not Dead

    A New York state proposal to start licensing and supervising buy-now, pay-later providers didn't make the final cut in lawmakers' just-approved $237 billion budget, but a version being advanced through standalone legislation could still make it into law.

  • April 22, 2024

    Kansas Gov. Signs Earned Wage Access License Bill Into Law

    Kansas has become the fourth state to approve new laws governing so-called earned wage access products, joining Nevada, Missouri and Wisconsin in regulating services for workers seeking cash advances.

  • April 22, 2024

    CORRECTED [New Headline]:Tribe Says NY Lottery Breaks Law

    A tribe in New York has asked a federal judge to bar state officials from operating any lottery vending machines on its self-proclaimed reservation, saying gambling on Indian lands is within the jurisdiction of tribes and regulated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

  • April 22, 2024

    FCC Fines AT&T, Internet Co. For Discussing Auction Bids

    AT&T Services Inc. and AMG Technology Investment Group LLC have not been able to convince the Federal Communications Commission to kibosh a combined $175,000 in fines for talking to each other during the bidding process for an auction of funds to subsidize infrastructure build-out.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    NY Shouldn't Pair 421-a Restoration And Good Cause Eviction

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    The good cause eviction system of rent control should not be imposed in New York, nor should its legislation be tied to renewal of the 421-a tax abatement program, which New York City desperately needs, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Should Loosen Restrictions On Arbitration Services

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    The Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations should be amended so that U.S. persons can provide arbitration services to sanctioned parties — this would help align OFAC policy with broader U.S. arbitration policy, promote efficiency, and effectively address related geopolitical and regulatory challenges, says Javier Coronado Diaz at Diaz Reus.

  • Proposed RCRA Regs For PFAS: What Cos. Must Know

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    Two rules recently proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would lead to more per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances being regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and would increase the frequency and scope of corrective action — so affected industries should prepare for more significant cleanup efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 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.

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