Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Public Policy
-
May 02, 2024
Congress Wants More Data On Broadband Program's Value
The Affordable Connectivity Program — which is rapidly running out of money — was on everyone's tongues at a Senate subcommittee hearing on broadband affordability Thursday morning, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on little more than the need for more data on how many Americans rely on the subsidy to stay online.
-
May 02, 2024
EPA, Calif. AG Sue San Fran For Clean Water Act Breaches
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sued San Francisco for "repeated and widespread" violations of the Clean Water Act, including allegedly discharging billions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean and other bodies of water popular for swimming, surfing and fishing.
-
May 02, 2024
Gov't Proposes Buy Ban Rule For Certain Semiconductors
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council said Thursday it is planning to implement a ban on federal purchases of semiconductor products from U.S. adversaries, asking for feedback from contractors on how prescriptive the pending rule should be.
-
May 02, 2024
Biden Expands Protections For 2 National Monuments In Calif.
President Joe Biden on Thursday expanded protections on nearly 120,000 acres of land for two California national monuments considered sacred to Native Americans, while permanently returning one to its original Indigenous name.
-
May 02, 2024
Tech, Finance Experts Urge CFTC To Consider AI Regs
Tech advisers urged the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday to consider policies to manage the risks associated with artificial intelligence, along with a list of other recommendations detailing potential approaches to the growing use of AI in financial markets.
-
May 02, 2024
No Damages For Native Americans In State Prison
A group of Native Americans is not entitled to millions in compensation for wrongful prosecution and incarceration in state prison, a Federal Circuit panel said, finding that the group's arguments that provisions of two 19th century self-government rights' treaties as "money-mandating" are unpersuasive.
-
May 02, 2024
Pharma. Co. Wants Ex-Director To Stop Poaching Customers
A pharmaceutical company has doubled down on its bid to stop a former director from soliciting customers for a rival drugmaker, saying he's trying to twist words in his contract and make up excuses for allegedly stealing trade secrets following his termination.
-
May 02, 2024
Biden Admin Must Reopen Gun Show Loophole, Texas Says
Texas and several other Republican-led states sued the Biden administration to reopen the so-called gun show loophole, asking the courts to stop the ATF from enforcing a new rule that makes many more firearm sellers register federally and perform background checks when selling a gun.
-
May 02, 2024
DHS App Exposing Migrants To Cartel Violence, Report Says
The Biden administration's use of a smartphone app to process asylum seekers at the southern border has become all but mandatory, stranding many migrants in Mexico and leaving them exposed to cartel violence, Human Rights Watch said.
-
May 02, 2024
Haaland Faces Senate Heat Over Interior Dept.'s Land Policies
U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland on Tuesday defended her agency's commitment to fostering energy development on public lands as U.S. senators criticized her agency over issues ranging from new rules to the pace of energy leasing and project permitting.
-
May 02, 2024
Biden Announces $3B To Fund Lead Pipe Replacement
The Biden administration is distributing $3 billion to states so they can replace lead water pipes that pose a health risk to those who rely on them for drinking water, as part of the larger goal to remove all lead service lines nationwide.
-
May 02, 2024
NYC Wants To Bill For 'Weaponized Transport' Of Migrants
A lawyer for New York City told a state court judge Thursday that Texas bus companies should cover the costs of caring for migrants transported there amid litigation over Gov. Greg Abbott's "budget-breaking scheme" to influence immigration policy.
-
May 02, 2024
Green Groups Want FEMA To Define 'Resiliency'
Environmental advocacy and consumer groups sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency in D.C. federal court Thursday, alleging the agency is way past its deadline to initiate rulemaking to define "resilient."
-
May 02, 2024
New EU, Japan Initiative Looks To Boost Global Supply Chains
Japan and the European Union on Thursday announced a new initiative aimed at alleviating the economic dependence countries may have on others for certain goods by boosting global supply chains through transparency and coordination with like-minded countries.
-
May 02, 2024
Ohio City Targets EPA Over 'Foul-Smelling Scum' On Lake Erie
An Ohio city, a county board and a nonprofit want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to live up to its responsibility to stop "foul-smelling scum" from building up in western Lake Erie, according to a federal lawsuit.
-
May 02, 2024
Dem Sens. Urge Biden To Keep Or Hike China Steel Tariffs
A coalition of Democratic U.S. senators has urged the Biden administration to keep or raise tariffs on Chinese steel, saying China has been manipulating steel prices and lowering the tariffs would be harmful to the U.S. industry.
-
May 02, 2024
11th Circ. Lets Georgia Island Dock Lawsuit Proceed
A Georgia conservation group can resume its challenge to federal approval of a private pier on Cumberland Island after a divided Eleventh Circuit panel said regulators could conduct a more rigorous environmental review even though the dock was already built.
-
May 02, 2024
Calif. Justices To Review Gilead's HIV Drug Negligence Fight
The California Supreme Court has granted Gilead Sciences Inc.'s request to review an appellate court's holding that the drugmaker must face claims it held back a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on an older medication.
-
May 02, 2024
State Legislators Urge Feds To Change Cannabis' Status
A coalition of state lawmakers on Thursday urged the heads of the U.S. Department of Justice and its drug enforcement agency to prioritize changing cannabis' status as a highly restricted drug.
-
May 02, 2024
DOL Hit With First Lawsuit Over New Investment Advice Regs
The U.S. Department of Labor was hit with a lawsuit Thursday in Texas federal court seeking to invalidate recently finalized regulations that broaden who qualifies as a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, marking the first-filed legal challenge since the agency's late-April final release.
-
May 02, 2024
Colo. Panel Says COVID Can Trigger Workers' Compensation
A Colorado appellate court panel on Thursday ruled for the first time that COVID-19 can be considered an "occupational disease" under the state's workers' compensation law and affirmed the award of benefits to a woman whose husband died of the novel coronavirus while working at a skilled nursing facility.
-
May 02, 2024
Stabenow's Farm Bill Includes ReConnect Program
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, released her framework of the Farm Bill on Wednesday, which includes a rural broadband program that advocates have been wanting to become permanent.
-
May 02, 2024
US Wants To Forfeit $1.55M Landing Gear Bound For Russia
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a forfeiture action against a $1.55 million set of aircraft landing gear for a Boeing 737-800 that the government confiscated in Miami and says was purchased for a Kyrgyz Republic-based company servicing the Russian government in violation of U.S. economic sanctions.
-
May 02, 2024
Split Conn. Supreme Court Says No To 'Ratio' Utility Bills
In a rare 4-3 opinion, the Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a corporate landlord cannot use a ratio utility billing system to divide monthly costs among units not equipped with precise individual meters, stressing a legislative policy of protecting tenants from fluctuating fees beyond their immediate control.
-
May 02, 2024
Mass. Property Is Agricultural, Appellate Board Says
A 14-acre property should be classified as agricultural, as the owner proved the land's main use was farming, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said in a ruling released Thursday.
Expert Analysis
-
What The NIL Negotiation Rules Injunction Means For NCAA
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
-
How FinCEN Proposal Expands RE Transaction Obligations
Against a regulatory backdrop foreshadowing anti-money laundering efforts in the real estate sector, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's proposed rule significantly expands reporting requirements for certain nonfinanced residential real estate transfers and necessitates careful review, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
-
How The FAA Is Embracing Simplified Flight Controls
The Federal Aviation Administration's openness to approving simplified flight controls as part of its forthcoming refresh of regulations governing light-sport aircraft and sport pilot certificates is valuable and welcome — and the same approach can be brought to general aviation aircraft, says Paul Alp at Adams and Reese.
-
Banks Should Continue To Prep For CFPB Data Rule Rollout
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-supervised banks should not expect industry pressure to delay the rollout of proposed Section 1033 open banking rules, which regulate how consumer financial information flows between financial institutions, and prepare their required data access portals and compliance procedures now, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.