Public Policy

  • May 23, 2024

    Biden Names Judicial Nominees For 1st, 6th Circuits

    President Joe Biden announced four new judicial nominees on Thursday, including picks for the First Circuit and the Sixth Circuit.

  • May 23, 2024

    Oakland Coliseum Sold To Black-Led Biz Group For $105M

    The City of Oakland has agreed to sell its share of the Oakland Coliseum to a group of Black community, business and investment leaders for a minimum of $105 million in a deal that the city said will pave the way for affordable housing units, outdoor space and future developments.

  • May 23, 2024

    EU Flags Nations For Shortcomings On Pillar 2, Exchange Law

    The European Commission said Thursday that six European Union countries still have failed to implement the global minimum tax for large companies, and it noted that an additional three aren't properly implementing an information exchange law.

  • May 23, 2024

    Commission Paves Way For Duties On Brass Rod Imports

    The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled 3-1 that imported brass rods, used in cell tower networks and military braking systems, has been economically harming the domestic market.

  • May 23, 2024

    Yellen Opposes Global Redistribution Of Billionaires' Wealth

    U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen repeated Thursday that she opposes a global minimum tax on billionaires and added that she does not support basing a redistribution of the revenue from such a tax on damage from climate change and related financing needs.

  • May 23, 2024

    High Court Sides With Gov't Over Repeat Offender Sentencing

    A state drug conviction can trigger a mandatory 15-year sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act if it involved a drug on the federal schedules at the time of that conviction, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

  • May 23, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Inks $310M Deal To Settle Feds' Spill Suit

    Norfolk Southern Railway Co. on Thursday agreed to a $310 million deal to settle the federal government's legal claims that arose out of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released large amounts of contaminants into the air, ground and water.

  • May 23, 2024

    DOJ Sues Live Nation 14 Years After Ticketmaster Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice sued Live Nation Thursday over the 2010 agreement clearing the concert promotion giant's purchase of Ticketmaster, an oft-maligned deal that enforcers now want to unwind and that is blamed for fiascoes like the meltdown of ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Eras tour.

  • May 23, 2024

    High Court Rules Poor Evidence Doomed SC Map Challenge

    The U.S. Supreme Court rebuked Thursday a federal judicial panel's finding that South Carolina Republicans unconstitutionally discriminated against Black voters when drawing the state's new congressional map, and established higher evidentiary standards for plaintiffs seeking to prove that race is the driving factor behind redistricting decisions.

  • May 22, 2024

    Neb. Takes Aim At TikTok For 'Exploiting' Teen Users

    Nebraska's attorney general has become the latest to accuse TikTok of operating a service that is addictive and harmful to teens, alleging in a complaint filed in state court Wednesday that the popular video-sharing site has misled consumers about how safe and appropriate the platform is for minors.

  • May 22, 2024

    'Appeal To Heaven' Flag Flew At Alito's Vacation Home: Report

    Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to immediately recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and face censure after The New York Times reported that flags tied to Donald Trump supporters had flown outside two homes owned by the justice in 2021 and again last year.

  • May 22, 2024

    Activist Investor Must Face Exxon's Suit Over Proxy Proposal

    A Texas federal judge Wednesday refused to dismiss an Exxon Mobil Corp. lawsuit against a U.S.-based activist investor over a now-withdrawn shareholder proposal concerning climate change, saying it isn't certain they won't refile their proposal in the future.

  • May 22, 2024

    EasyPay Agrees To Exit Mass. In 'Rent-A-Bank' Settlement

    EasyPay, an alternative finance company, has settled with Massachusetts officials over claims that it gouged Bay State borrowers with predatory loans issued through an out-of-state bank, agreeing to pay $625,000 to consumers and stop doing business in the state as part of a deal unveiled Wednesday.

  • May 22, 2024

    Nursing Home Asks Ill. Justices For Broad COVID Immunity

    An Illinois nursing home facing wrongful death suits over an outbreak of COVID-19 told the state's highest court Wednesday that plaintiffs were trying to have it "both ways," by claiming Gov. J.B. Pritzker's grant of pandemic-related immunity to healthcare facilities was both clear and ambiguous.

  • May 22, 2024

    Calif. Justices Debate Time To Sue To Change Insurer's Practices

    A California state attorney urged the California Supreme Court on Thursday to revive a policyholder's Unfair Competition Law claim against State Farm, saying the law's four-year statute of limitation applies over an insurance law's one-year period because the policyholder is seeking a change to its claim-handling practices, not damages.

  • May 22, 2024

    Arizona Officials Spar Over Stay In Voting Rights Fight

    Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is asking a federal district court to deny a bid by the state's top lawmakers and the Republican National Committee to pause a decision to bar provisions of voting legislation from being enforced, arguing that a change this close to an election would create confusion.

  • May 22, 2024

    US House Passes Crypto Bill Over SEC, White House Dissent

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a Republican-led framework to regulate digital assets despite pushback from many Democrats, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the White House, which questioned whether the bill will actually provide the clarity it promises.

  • May 22, 2024

    Fla. Gaming Compact Contradicts Law, High Court Told

    Two Florida casino operators seeking to undo a sports gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe fired back at the federal government's claims that the agreement is legal, arguing that its language contradicts the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

  • May 22, 2024

    Feds And Enviro Groups Fight Utah Counties' High Court Bid

    The United States, a Colorado county and five environmental groups are fighting a bid by a coalition of Utah counties to win a U.S. Supreme Court review of a D.C. Circuit decision revoking federal approval of a rail line to transport crude oil from the state.

  • May 22, 2024

    Monsanto's Appellate Win Won't Nix $438M PCB Loss

    A Washington state trial judge has declined to throw out a $438 million judgment against Monsanto in one of a series of PCB poisoning suits tied to a school site, rejecting the company's argument that the judgment cannot stand on the heels of a state appellate court ruling reversing another plaintiffs' win in the case group.

  • May 22, 2024

    Seattle Sues Train Cos. Over Bike Track-Crossing Suits

    The city of Seattle says two short-line railroads have breached agreements to maintain liability insurance and indemnify the city in lawsuits from cyclists injured crossing tracks along a perilous stretch of a popular bike trail, according to a complaint filed in Washington state court.

  • May 22, 2024

    Ex-Citi Exec Says She Was Asked To Lie To OCC

    A former Citibank NA managing director hired to bring the bank into compliance with regulatory obligations has accused the bank and its chief operating officer of wrongful termination and retaliation in a suit Wednesday, alleging she was fired for not reporting false information to authorities.

  • May 23, 2024

    Sunsetting Section 230 Gains Traction On Both Sides Of Aisle

    Everyone at Wednesday's House subcommittee hearing, from left to right, seemed to agree that it's time to ditch the Communications Decency Act's hotly contested Section 230, which shields online platforms from liability for content posted by third parties.

  • May 22, 2024

    Antitrust Judge Questions Apple's Phil Schiller On New Fees

    A California federal judge deciding whether Apple has complied with her ban on App Store anti-steering rules questioned Apple fellow Phil Schiller on Wednesday on Apple's new program imposing 27% fees on out-of-app transactions, saying "all the new program does is maintain the anti-competitive environment" for the company's benefit.

  • May 22, 2024

    Binance.US Beats Fla. Regulator's Suspension Order

    A Florida state appeals court agreed with Binance.US on Wednesday that the state's financial regulator shouldn't have denied the cryptocurrency exchange the ability to do business in the state after its affiliate and founder pled guilty last year, and that the agency didn't follow proper procedure in blocking Binance's operations.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Priorities In FDIC Report On Resolving Big Bank Failures

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    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s report last month on the resolvability of large financial institutions contains little new information, but it does reiterate key policy priorities, including the agency's desire to enhance loss-absorbing capacity through long-term debt requirements and preference for single-point-of-entry resolution strategies, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Best Practices For Space Security In Our Connected World

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    NASA's recently published space security guide is another indication that cyber-resilience has become a global theme for the space and satellite sector, as well as a useful reference for companies and organizations reviewing their cybersecurity frameworks or looking to partner with the U.S. agency, says Hayley Blyth at Bird & Bird.

  • Opinion

    SEC Doesn't Have Legal Authority For Climate Disclosure Rule

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    Instead of making the required legal argument to establish its authority, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosure rule hides behind more than 1,000 references to materiality to give the appearance that its rule is legally defensible, says Bernard Sharfman at RealClearFoundation.

  • What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron

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    With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.

  • FTC Noncompete Rule May Still Face Historical Hurdles

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning noncompetes might face challenges that could have been avoided with more cautious consideration of the commission's long history of failed lawsuits that went beyond the agency's statutory authority, as well as the mountain of judicial precedent justifying noncompete agreements in employment contracts, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • A Look At Subchapter V As Debt Limit Expiration Looms

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    If proposed legislation to extend Subchapter V’s debt eligibility ceiling sunset date in June is passed, bankruptcy professionals can seek ways to work with their local jurisdictions to advocate for code changes and guidance that bring more efficiencies and clarity to the process, say Matthew Brash at Newpoint Advisors and Melinda Bennett at Stretto.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.

  • 8 Fla. Statutes That Construction Cos. Should Prepare For

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    In this article, Jason Lambert at Hill Ward discusses a number of recent bills out of the Florida Legislature targeting construction companies in the Sunshine State that have been sent to the governor for signature, at least some of which will have broad impacts that affected companies should prepare for ahead of the July 1 effective date.

  • Game-Changing Decisions Call For New Rules At The NCAA

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    From a newly formed college players union to coaches transferring at the drop of a hat, the National College Athletic Association needs an overhaul, including federal supervision, says Frank Darras at DarrasLaw.

  • End Of Acquitted Conduct Sentencing Can Spark More Reform

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    The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent end to factoring acquitted conduct into federal sentences could signal the start of a more constitutionally sound advisory scheme, but Congress and the Supreme Court must first authorize the commission to resolve two constitutional errors baked into its guidelines, say Mark Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Manufacturers Should Pay Attention To 'Right-To-Repair' Laws

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    Oregon’s recently passed "right-to-repair" statute highlights that the R2R movement is not going away, and that manufacturers of all kinds need to be paying attention to the evolving list of R2R statutes in various states and consider participating in the process, says Courtney Sarnow at Culhane.

  • Opinion

    Viral Deepfakes Of Taylor Swift Highlight Need For Regulation

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    As the nation grapples with addressing risk from artificial intelligence use, the recent circulation of AI-generated pornographic images of Taylor Swift on the social platform X highlights the need for federal legislation to protect nonconsenting subjects of deepfake pornography, say Nicole Brenner and Susie Ruiz-Lichter at Squire Patton.

  • Opinion

    Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System

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    A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.

  • New Federal Bill Would Drastically Alter Privacy Landscape

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    While the recently introduced American Privacy Rights Act would eliminate the burdensome patchwork of state regulations, the proposed federal privacy law would also significantly expand compliance obligations and liability exposure for companies, especially those that rely on artificial intelligence or biometric technologies, says David Oberly at Baker Donelson.

  • How Cos. Can Comply With New PFAS Superfund Rule

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as "hazardous substances" under the Superfund law will likely trigger additional enforcement and litigation at sites across the country — so companies should evaluate any associated reporting obligations and liability risks, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

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