Public Policy

  • May 01, 2024

    AI Is Top Of Mind For Companies — And Securities Regulators

    As references to artificial intelligence in securities filings soar, attorneys say companies must ground their disclosures in fact and be upfront about risks posed by AI in order to avoid the wrath of regulators, who promise to crack down on misleading claims.

  • May 01, 2024

    Tax Credit Transfer Regs Show IRS Caution In Rulemaking

    The IRS and Treasury's final rules on the sale and transfer of green energy credits maintained a strict reading of the statute while making few changes, a sign of caution by regulators amid judicial scrutiny of the government's rulemaking authority.

  • May 01, 2024

    5th Circ. Wants Texas Injunction Ruling In CFPB Late Fee Case

    In a late Tuesday twist, the Fifth Circuit has sent a banking industry lawsuit over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's $8 credit card late fee rule back to Texas federal court, saying it doesn't want to be the first to decide whether the rule should be blocked from taking effect later this month.

  • April 30, 2024

    Epstein Victims Must Disclose Names In FBI Suit, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday denied anonymity to 12 survivors of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein in their lawsuit alleging the FBI ignored numerous tips that Epstein was running a sex trafficking ring, saying the victims failed to support claims they would suffer irreparable harm if their identities were revealed.

  • April 30, 2024

    Judge Strikes Parts Of NC Law Restricting Abortion Drug

    A North Carolina federal judge struck down parts of a state law Tuesday that restricts access to the abortion medication mifepristone, finding some provisions violate the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause by enacting safety regulations already considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as requiring in-person prescribing, dispensing and scheduling around the drug.

  • April 30, 2024

    Feds Say Treaties Don't Protect Utah Tribe In Land Row

    Efforts by a Utah tribe to restore public lands to a trust status that would prevent federal officials from illegally accessing the property are based on a false premise, the United States said, arguing that two 19th century laws support its bid to dismiss the case.

  • April 30, 2024

    Justices Told Error Admission Merits Respect In Capital Case

    Attorneys general from across the country implored the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to give the "utmost" deference to Oklahoma's confession that prosecutorial misconduct led to the wrongful conviction of a death row inmate and to overturn a state court ruling that rebuffed the admission and upheld the conviction.

  • April 30, 2024

    Chicago Wants Help Probing Migrant-Moving Bus Companies

    Chicago is asking for an Illinois state court's help to enforce subpoenas the city says it issued to learn more about illegal migrant transportation services several bus companies have provided for the state of Texas, saying the companies have ignored its information requests.

  • April 30, 2024

    Minn. Tribes Seek Support For Five 'Land Return' Bills

    More than 20 Minnesota-based groups have urged state lawmakers to vote in favor of five "land return" bills that would give back state-owned lands to Native American tribes, saying the measures support the legal return of Indigenous lands along with their continued use by the public.

  • April 30, 2024

    Final Biden Enviro Review Regs Puts Onus On Agencies

    The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized its second round of revisions to regulations governing federal agencies' environmental reviews, but how agencies weave the new guidelines into their project permitting processes will be where the regulatory rubber hits the road, experts say.

  • April 30, 2024

    Atty Tells Trump Jury That Hush Money Deal Almost Tanked

    An attorney who previously represented adult film star Stormy Daniels told jurors Tuesday in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump about how the $130,000 hush money agreement at the heart of the case was nearly derailed after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen would not close the deal.

  • April 30, 2024

    Migrant Families, Biden Admin Settle Separation Suit

    The Biden administration has inked deals resolving two lawsuits from migrant parents who claim to be experiencing lasting emotional damage after being separated from their children under a Trump-era policy.

  • April 30, 2024

    5th Circ. Questions Texas' Standing In SEC Proxy Rule Battle

    The Fifth Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a Texas-led challenge to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that will require fund managers to make it easier for investors to identify ESG issues on corporate ballots, with the judges wondering whether the Lone Star State and others had standing to bring the lawsuit.

  • April 30, 2024

    State Dept. Proposes Export Waivers For Australia, UK

    The U.S. Department of State proposed a regulation Tuesday that would exempt Australia and the United Kingdom from export restrictions on sensitive technology as it faces mounting congressional pressure to support a defense partnership with them.

  • April 30, 2024

    Wash. Fights GEO's Bid For Final End To ICE Detention Law

    The state of Washington pushed back against GEO Group's effort to scrap its law allowing surprise inspections and raising hygiene standards at immigration detention facilities, saying the private prison operator is already partly shielded from enforcement of the law while a Washington federal court considers its constitutional challenge.

  • April 30, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Calif. Bar Didn't Violate Student's Fed. Rights

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the dismissal of an octogenarian law school student's claims that the State Bar of California violated his 14th Amendment protected rights when it refused to excuse his delay in taking a first-year exam, saying the California Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over admission matters.

  • April 30, 2024

    Pfizer Can't Slip COVID-19 Vax Suit, Texas Tells Court

    The Texas attorney general told a federal judge not to let Pfizer Inc. out of its suit accusing the pharmaceutical company of misleading the public about its COVID-19 vaccine, arguing the suit was properly pled under state law in a brief filed Monday.

  • April 30, 2024

    Drug Company Can't Escape Texas Counties' Opioid MDL

     A Texas appeals court on Tuesday declined to cut loose a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical manufacturer from Texas multidistrict litigation over opioid addiction in the state, finding that the counties of Dallas and Bexar have demonstrated that it's made deliberate moves toward the Texas market.

  • April 30, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Finds San Jose Nuisance Laws Constitutional

    A split Ninth Circuit panel held Tuesday that San Jose, California, did not violate the First Amendment rights of a nightclub operator by suspending its license following a shooting, affirming that the public nuisance provisions and licensing scheme for entertainment venues used by the city are not unlawful prior restraints.

  • April 30, 2024

    Foreign Farmworker Protection Rule Could Frustrate Hiring

    A new U.S. Department of Labor regulation boosting labor protections for H-2A visa workers has industry experts worried that it could frustrate a common practice of sharing employees within the agricultural industry, and pose hiring challenges for farmers and ranchers.

  • April 30, 2024

    3rd Circ. Preview: Kavanaugh Classmate Takes On HuffPost

    The Third Circuit's May lineup will find the court weighing HuffPost's battle with an allegedly libeled former classmate of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and claims by consumers alleging they bought defective Bayer antifungal medicine.

  • April 30, 2024

    NJ AG Asks Court To Nix UAW's Suit Over Smoking In Casinos

    The New Jersey attorney general has requested that a state court dismiss a United Auto Workers complaint claiming a law excluding casino workers from a smoking ban at certain indoor workspaces violates the state constitution, saying the dispute should be left to the Legislature.

  • April 30, 2024

    FTC Puts $26B Permian Basin Gas Deal Under Scrutiny

    The Federal Trade Commission is taking an in-depth look at the proposed oil and gas merger between Diamondback Energy and Endeavor Energy Resources by issuing a second request for additional information about the deal, according to new securities filings.

  • April 30, 2024

    Colo. Justice Says Judges Need To Squash Lawyers' Sniping

    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Gabriel said Tuesday that more judges should call out lawyers' unprofessional behavior in their courtrooms to help restore civility in the profession, aiming to stamp out those behaving like "kids fighting in the sandbox." 

  • April 30, 2024

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The U.S. Department of Justice pressured the abandonment of a nearly $1 billion insulation deal while the Federal Trade Commission challenged, scrutinized, and battled, deals in the private equity, fashion, grocery, energy and healthcare spaces. Here are some of the major merger review developments from April.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What The NIL Negotiation Rules Injunction Means For NCAA

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent preliminary injunction reverses several prominent and well-established NCAA rules on negotiations with student-athletes over name, image and likeness compensation and shows that collegiate athletics is a profoundly unsettled legal environment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Md. May See Vigorous Resale Price Maintenance Enforcement

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    In Maryland, indications of a new focus on resale price maintenance agreements are significant because state prosecution in this area has been rare, particularly outside California, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What 2 Years Of Ukraine-Russia Conflict Can Teach Cos.

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    A few key legal lessons for the global business community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine could help protect global commerce in times of future conflict, including how to respond to disparate trade restrictions and sanctions, navigate war-related contract disputes, and protect against heightened cybersecurity risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Takeaways From EPA's New Methane Emission Rules

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    Attorneys at V&E examine two new Clean Air Act rules for the oil and gas industry, explaining how they expand methane and volatile organic compound emission reduction requirements and amplify U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement risks.

  • Uncertainty Surrounds Patent Eligibility Restoration Bill

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    A recent U.S. Senate hearing regarding the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, a bill that aims to overhaul patent eligibility law and establish clearer statutory exclusions, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing patent eligibility debate, but the law’s fate remains uncertain as discussions continue, say attorneys at Marshall Gerstein.

  • CSA Case Could Shift Intrastate Commercial Cannabis

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    In Canna Provisions v. Merrick Garland, cannabis companies argue that the Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to intrastate commercial cannabis activity; the Massachusetts federal court's eventual decision will be important to the cannabis industry for several reasons, including that the threat of federal enforcement would disappear overnight, says Hilary Bricken at Husch Blackwell.

  • How AI May Be Used In Fintech Fraud — And Fraud Detection

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    Recent enforcement actions in the fintech and finance industries show that the government is increasingly pursuing fraud enabled by artificial intelligence — at the same time it’s using AI innovations to enforce regulations and investigate fraud, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Antitrust Enforcers' Views On Info Exchanges Are Evolving

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    As antitrust enforcers' views on information exchanges between competing companies have matured in response to technological advances, companies would do well to reconsider whether the exchanges in which they participate meet the most recent compliance benchmarks, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Takeaways From Groundbreaking Data Transfer Order

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    A recent first-of-its-kind executive order and related proposed rulemaking lay the groundwork for important outbound U.S. data protections, but they may have unintended consequences related to the types of data and the subjects within their scope, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Takeaways From NLRB Advice On 'Outside' Employment

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    Rebecca Leaf at Miles & Stockbridge examines a recent memo from the National Labor Relations Board’s Division of Advice that said it’s unlawful for employers to restrict secondary or outside employment, and explains what companies should know about the use of certain restrictive covenants going forward.

  • FARA Enforcement May Soon Be In The Halls Of Higher Ed

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    Given Congress’ increased attention to rising foreign influence on U.S. college campuses, the U.S. Department of Justice may soon turn the Foreign Agents Registration Act spotlight on educational institutions and groups, which will need to review their possible obligations under the statute, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

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