Public Policy

  • April 29, 2024

    HHS Delays Menthol Cigarette Ban Indefinitely

    U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said Friday that a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes has been put on hold for now, citing the need to process considerable feedback from civil rights groups and the criminal justice movement.

  • April 29, 2024

    Amid Backlash, FDA Extends Control For Lab-Developed Tests

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration inked a final rule Monday that gives the agency broad authority over lab-developed tests by classifying them as medical devices, a move that has drawn ire from congressional leadership and those in the healthcare and life sciences industries.

  • April 29, 2024

    FCC Fines Wireless Carriers $195M For Selling Location Data

    The country's top wireless carriers face fines totaling almost $200 million from the Federal Communications Commission after a yearslong probe into the companies' sales of user location data to third parties.

  • April 29, 2024

    Biden Admin's Border Wall Plan Must Be Vacated, Court Told

    Texas and Missouri again urged a federal judge Monday to vacate the Biden administration's plan to redirect congressional funding for a southern U.S. border wall as the White House pushed back, saying it would be an overreach to eliminate its directive.

  • April 29, 2024

    Trade Court Presses Commerce Dept. On Korean Electricity

    The question of whether South Korean authorities subsidize the country's steel producers is again before the trade court as of Monday, with the U.S. Department of Commerce heading into a third remand over a 2018 duty review.

  • April 29, 2024

    Colo. Judge Moves Toward Eastman DQ Over Calif. Discipline

    A Colorado federal judge has ordered former Donald Trump lawyer John C. Eastman to explain why he shouldn't be disqualified from representing plaintiffs in a civil suit after a California disciplinary judge suspended his law license and recommended disbarment in March.

  • April 29, 2024

    Border Sheriffs Want Control Of 4.9-GHz Band To Stay Local

    Two border sheriff organizations are lending their voices to the growing chorus of public safety interests telling the Federal Communications Commission that turning the revamped 4.9-gigahertz public safety band over to an AT&T-affiliated entity to manage is a bad idea.

  • April 29, 2024

    Pa. County Counters Sanctions Bid In Dominion Suit

    Local officials in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, have urged a federal judge to punish Dominion Voting Systems Inc. for its motion filed last month calling for sanctions against two county commissioners for filing an amended complaint in a breach of contract suit.

  • April 29, 2024

    Calif. Cannabis Labor Law Violates US Constitution, Co. Says

    A California cannabis law's provisions mandating labor peace agreements between dispensaries and unions violate the U.S. Constitution, a cannabis retailer has alleged, saying the statute unlawfully gives the labor organization more leverage when negotiating what requirements are in the accords.

  • April 29, 2024

    Orrick Adds Morgan Lewis Securities Regulatory Atty In DC

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has hired a longtime Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP partner who focuses his practice on helping clients understand a myriad of securities regulations and financial laws, the firm announced Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    NCAA, Bush Tussle Over Strength Of Defamation Claims

    Former USC running back Reggie Bush's defamation brawl with the NCAA continued on Monday as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner urged an Indiana state court to keep his lawsuit alive, arguing it is too early to throw the case out as the NCAA wishes.

  • April 29, 2024

    DOJ Not Required To Probe Alleged Bias In Boston Contracts

    A Boston federal judge won't second-guess a U.S. Department of Justice decision not to investigate allegations of systemic racism in the city's municipal contracting practices, deferring to the department's finding that it lacked jurisdiction for the claims.

  • April 29, 2024

    DOL Finalizes Rescission Of ACA-Skirting Health Plan Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday finalized its rescission of an association health plan rule that allowed small businesses to band together to create healthcare plans that skirt certain Affordable Care Act requirements, which a D.C. federal court largely invalidated in 2019.

  • April 29, 2024

    IRS To Open $6B 2nd Round Of Advanced Energy Tax Credits

    The IRS will start taking applications May 28 from project owners seeking to get part of a $6 billion second round of tax credits for developments that will support the clean energy industry, such as solar glass manufacturing and metal recycling facilities, the agency said Monday.

  • April 29, 2024

    EEOC Guidance Addresses Telework, Shields LGBTQ Workers

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday unveiled the final version of its enforcement guidance on workplace harassment, updating the agency's advice to factor in developments such as the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Bostock decision and the rise of remote work.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices Deny Review Of Hezbollah-Tied Bank's Immunity

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to examine whether sovereign immunity shields a defunct Lebanese bank from terrorism victims' allegations the bank funded Hezbollah, despite the victims' contention that an answer would provide clarity for disputes involving foreign trade.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices To Scrutinize Revoked Visa Petition

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to examine an Eleventh Circuit decision that federal courts lack authority to review the revocation of a previously approved visa petition for a Palestinian man whose marriage was found to fraudulently skirt immigration laws.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Musk's Case Against SEC Gag Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not review the terms of a settlement Elon Musk entered into with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission six years ago, keeping intact a Second Circuit decision that upheld the terms of a deal that said the Tesla CEO must receive preauthorization before making certain social media posts about the car manufacturer.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices To Weigh RICO Injury Scope In CBD Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case brought by a trio of CBD companies asking the justices to establish whether a plaintiff can bring a personal injury claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

  • April 26, 2024

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.

  • April 26, 2024

    Remote Class, Medical News, More: Texas High Court Roundup

    The Supreme Court of Texas ruled on a handful of issues Friday, including the liability of universities for switching to remote learning, the responsibility of an employer for not providing a worker with concerning medical news and how a settlement credit should be applied to a final judgment.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ex-McKinsey Partner Says Firm Made Him Opioids 'Scapegoat'

    A former McKinsey & Co. partner lobbed defamation claims at the consulting firm, claiming Friday that it lied to the government and the public about his purported role in deleting evidence amid government investigations into the firm's work with opioid manufacturers, an alleged scheme designed to make him the "scapegoat."

  • April 26, 2024

    Trump Casts Tabloid Deal As 'Standard Operating Procedure'

    Donald Trump's attorneys tried to undermine Manhattan prosecutors' lead witness in his criminal trial on Friday, casting his deal to boost his presidency with the help of a friendly tabloid baron as nothing more than a savvy business relationship that was perfectly legal.

  • April 26, 2024

    New PTAB Briefing Plan Likely To Get Patent Owner Pushback

    A proposed rule to create a separate round of briefing in Patent Trial and Appeal Board cases about whether the board should use its discretion to deny review may rankle patent owners, attorneys say, since it could effectively restrict their available arguments in many cases.

  • April 26, 2024

    TikTok Ban Reveals Congress' Power In Place Of CFIUS Limits

    The new law calling for TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the app or get banned in the U.S. reflects the limits of national security reviews and shows how Congress and the president may bolster, or circumvent, them going forward.

Expert Analysis

  • How Harsher Penalties For AI Crimes May Work In Practice

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    With recent pronouncements from the U.S. Department of Justice that prosecutors may seek sentencing enhancements for crimes committed using artificial intelligence, defense counsel should understand how the sentencing guidelines and statutory factors will come into play, says Jennie VonCannon at Crowell & Moring.

  • Opinion

    NIST March-In Framework Is As Problematic As 2021 Proposal

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    While the National Institute of Standards and Technology's proposed march-in framework on when the government can seize patents has been regarded as a radical departure that will support lowering prescription drug costs, the language at the heart of it is identical to a failed 2021 notice of proposed rulemaking, says attorney Kelly Morron.

  • AI In Performance Management: Mitigating Employer Risk

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    Companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools in performance management, exposing organizations to significant risks, which they can manage through employee training, bias assessments, and comprehensive policies and procedures related to the new technology, say Gregory Brown and Cindy Huang at Jackson Lewis.

  • Legal Issues When Training AI On Previously Collected Data

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    Following the Federal Trade Commission's recent guidance about the use of customer data to train artificial intelligence models, companies should carefully think through their terms of service and privacy policies and be cautious when changing them to permit new uses of previously collected data, says James Gatto at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Protested CFPB Supervisory Order Reveals Process, Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s order announcing its first use of special oversight power to place installment lender World Acceptance Corp. under supervision despite resistance from the company provides valuable insight into which products and practices may draw bureau scrutiny, and illuminates important nuances of the risk assessment procedures, say Josh Kotin and Michelle Rogers at Cooley.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • Ala. Frozen Embryo Ruling Creates Risks for Managed Care Orgs

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    The Alabama Supreme Court's decision in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine last month, declaring that frozen embryos count as children, has not only upended the abortion debate but also raised questions for managed care organizations and healthcare providers that provide, offer or facilitate fertility treatment nationwide, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Tips For Healthcare M&A Amid Heightened Antitrust Scrutiny

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    As the Biden administration maintains its aggressive approach to antitrust merger enforcement, prudent healthcare M&A counsel will consider practical advice when contemplating their next transaction, including carefully selecting a merger partner and preparing for a potentially long waiting period prior to closing, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • New Eagle Take Permit Rule Should Help Wind Projects Soar

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    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recently issued final rule revising the eagle take permit process should help wind energy developers obtain incidental take permits through a more transparent and expedited process, and mitigate the risk of improper take penalties faced by wind projects, says Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • Compliance Steps After ABA White Collar Crime Conference

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    Senior law enforcement officials’ statements this month at the American Bar Association's white collar crime conference suggest government enforcement efforts this year will increasingly focus on whistleblower incentives, artificial intelligence and data protection, and companies will need to update their compliance programs accordingly, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Trump Ballot Ruling May Spark Constitutional Crisis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump must be reinstated to Colorado’s primary ballot endorses an unnecessarily broad legal theory of disqualification from federal office, raising constitutional questions that will only become more urgent as the next presidential election nears, says Devon Ombres at the Center for American Progress.

  • Investment Advisers Should Prep For Money Laundering Regs

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    Investment advisers should prepare for a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed rule that would significantly expand anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism obligations by assessing illicit financing risks, and expect examiners to scrutinize unregistered advisers and those with certain foreign clients, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • EU Inquiry Offers First Insight Into Foreign Subsidy Law

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    The European Commission's first in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation into a public procurement process, and subsequent brief on regulatory trends, sheds light on the commission's approach to such cases, as well as jurisdictional, procedural and substantive issues under the regulation, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

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